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Congress·Reported·H.R. 4312

House Committee Advances SCORE Act to Set National Rules for College Athlete Pay

SCORE Act

4 months ago·View on Congress.gov
Part of: House Legislative Push Targets College Athletics and Regulatory Reform
⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law

Key Points

  • This bill creates national rules for how college athletes make money from endorsements. It stops schools from blocking these deals but sets limits to ensure the money is for actual business work. This is meant to stop "pay-for-play" where boosters use fake deals to lure top players to specific schools.
  • Schools making over $20 million a year from sports must provide better health and education benefits. This includes paying for sports-related medical bills for three years after a student leaves school and offering financial aid to help former players come back and finish their degrees for up to seven years.
  • The bill legally defines college athletes as students, not employees. This means they cannot be treated like school staff, which prevents them from forming unions or suing for employee rights. This would apply across the whole country, replacing different rules in different states.
  • To protect regular students from rising costs, big-budget schools that make $50 million or more from TV deals can no longer charge students extra fees to fund sports. All schools would also have to clearly list on their websites exactly how much money they take from student fees to pay for athletic programs.
  • The plan protects athletes from being taken advantage of by capping sports agent fees at 5% of any endorsement deal. It also allows athletes to transfer to a new school at least once without losing their right to play immediately, provided they are in good academic standing.
EducationLabor EmploymentEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

5 milestones14 actions
Dec 1, 2025House

Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 916 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 4312, H.R. 1005, H.R. 1049, H.R. 1069, H.R. 2965 and H.R. 4305. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 4312, H.R. 1005, H.R. 1049, H.R. 1069, H.R. 2965, and H.R. 4305 under a closed rule with one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill.

Nov 25, 2025House

Supplemental report filed by the Committee on Education and Workforce, H. Rept. 119-270, Part IV.

Nov 25, 2025House

Supplemental report filed by the Committee on Energy and Commerce, H. Rept. 119-270, Part III.

Sep 11, 2025House

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 226.

Sep 11, 2025House

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-270, Part II.

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

2026-07-01

Schools must start publicly reporting how much of student fees go toward athletics

Students and families will be able to see exactly how their fees are being spent on sports programs, making it easier to hold schools accountable

2027-07-01

High-revenue schools must maintain at least 16 varsity sports teams

Schools earning $20M+ from athletics must offer a minimum number of sports, protecting opportunities for athletes in less popular sports like swimming or track

Academic year 2028-2029

Schools earning $50M+ in media rights can no longer charge students athletic fees

Students at wealthy athletic programs like major football and basketball schools would stop paying mandatory fees that subsidize sports, potentially saving hundreds of dollars per year

Related Bills

1 bill
H.Res. 916Related bill

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4312) to protect the name, image, and likeness rights of student athletes and to promote fair competition with respect to intercollegiate athletics, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1005) to prohibit elementary and secondary schools from accepting funds from or entering into contracts with the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1049) to ensure that parents are aware of foreign influence in their child's public school, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1069) to prohibit the availability of Federal education funds for elementary and secondary schools that receive direct or indirect support from the Government of the People's Republic of China; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2965) to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to ensure that the small business regulatory budget for a small business concern in a fiscal year is not greater than zero, and for other purposes; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4305) to direct the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration to establish a Red Tape Hotline to receive notifications of burdensome agency rules, and for other purposes.

Dec 2 — Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

SCORE Act

Bill NumberHR 4312
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionRules Committee Resolution H. Res. 916 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 4312, H.R. 1005, H.R. 1049, H.R. 1069, H.R. 2965 and H.R. 4305. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 4312, H.R. 1005, H.R. 1049, H.R. 1069, H.R. 2965, and H.R. 4305 under a closed rule with one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(22)
D: 7R: 15

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.