SCORE Act pulled from House

House Republican leaders pulled the NCAA-backed SCORE Act from the floor this week after the Congressional Black Caucus declared unanimous opposition, blocking another attempt to move a federal college sports bill through the chamber. The decision was reported Tuesday, May 19, and marked the second time in less than a year that House leaders canceled a planned vote on the measure. The bill had been pitched as a national framework for athlete compensation, transfers and name, image and likeness rules. Instead, it became a fresh flashpoint over how much power Congress should give the NCAA and whose interests any federal fix would protect. ### Why did House leaders pull the bill this time? The Congressional Black Caucus said Monday it was “united” in opposing the revised legislation, and House GOP leaders dropped the measure from the schedule that night. The Hill reported that a House GOP staffer said the bill would not come to the floor for a vote this week. Front Office Sports reported the measure had been set for a Rules Committee markup on Tuesday, a step that normally precedes a floor vote. (thehill.com) Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, the caucus chair, said in a statement that Black athletes had helped build college sports into a profitable industry while college sports leaders stayed silent as Black voting rights were being weakened in Southern states. Roll Call reported that CBC members Reps. Shomari Figures of Alabama and Janelle Bynum of Oregon, who had been original co-sponsors, withdrew their support. (thehill.com) ### What was actually in the SCORE Act? The SCORE Act would have created a federal framework for college sports rules that the NCAA and power conferences had backed for months. Front Office Sports reported the bill would have given the NCAA antitrust protection to set rules on eligibility, transfers and athlete compensation, preempted state NIL laws and barred college athletes from being treated as employees. (rollcall.com) The Hill described the proposal as legislation aimed at setting new standards in college sports, including revenue sharing and athlete compensation, while granting the NCAA limited antitrust protections as it faced legal challenges. The measure was part of a broader push by the NCAA for Congress to step in as athletes signed larger NIL deals and transfer rules came under heavier scrutiny. (frontofficesports.com) ### Why were critics resisting it beyond the CBC fight? Rep. Lori Trahan, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Tuesday that House leadership canceled the vote because there were not enough yes votes, according to Front Office Sports. The Hill reported that some Republicans, including Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Byron Donalds of Florida, had also argued an earlier version gave the NCAA too much power. (thehill.com) Derrick Johnson, the NAACP’s president, joined House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries at a Tuesday press conference to attack the bill and call for Black athletes to boycott public universities in states working to reduce Black voting representation, Roll Call reported. The Hill separately reported that the NAACP urged Black athletes, families, fans and alumni to withhold athletic and financial support from public universities in states that had moved to weaken Black voting representation. (frontofficesports.com) ### What happens now that the House effort has stalled again? Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz and ranking member Maria Cantwell are in negotiations over a separate bipartisan college sports bill, Front Office Sports reported on May 19. Roll Call said attention had already shifted to the Senate after the House measure was benched. (rollcall.com) CBS Sports reported on May 15 that Cruz and Cantwell were expected to unveil language for a Senate proposal as soon as the following week, with committee hearings to follow in the coming weeks or months. That report said the Senate bill was expected to supplant the SCORE Act as the NCAA’s best chance to secure federal legislation. (frontofficesports.com) May 19 is the latest missed House milestone for the SCORE Act, after leaders also scrapped a planned vote in December. The next concrete step to watch is whether Cruz and Cantwell release Senate text and schedule committee action before Congress’s August recess, as CBS Sports reported. (frontofficesports.com) (cbssports.com)