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Congress·Reported·3 months ago

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

Also known as: SCORE Act

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Impact Analysis

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

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

Milestones

7 milestones21 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, 2025

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.

Nov 25, 2025

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

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 News

2 articles
CBS Sports·8 months ago

SCORE Act, a bill alter that would the landscape of college sports, has been formally introduced in U.S. House

The SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements) establishes federal standards for NIL, mandates healthcare coverage for ex-athletes for three years, and maintains that athletes are students, not employees, preventing them from forming unions.

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Fox News·3 months ago

'IT'S BROKEN': Lawmaker sounds alarm on college athlete pay issue

Rep. Tim Walberg discussed the stalling of the SCORE Act in the House after leadership canceled a planned vote. While supporters see it as a necessary step to treat athletes as students first, some Republicans joined Democrats in criticizing the bill as a 'band-aid' on a larger mess.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

SCORE Act

Bill NumberHR 4312
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionSupplemental report filed by the Committee on Education and Workforce, H. Rept. 119-270, Part IV.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(22)
D: 7R: 15

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.