Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives pulled a bill scheduled for a final vote on Wednesday, Dec. 3 that would have allowed the NCAA and its newly-formed College Sports Commission to create and enforce national rules that have been under legal dispute in recent years.
The SCORE Act (Student Compensation And Opportunity Through Rights and Endorsements) sought to provide more regulation and calm the chaotic environment created by the introduction of name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, revenue sharing and the transfer portal to college sports. It passed a procedural vote on Tuesday, 210-209, but the legislation drew bipartisan backlash as a final vote neared.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and the Congressional Black Caucus were among the vocal critics, and issues with how the bill infringed on athletes' rights inspired competing legislation from House Democrats earlier this week. The move to pull the SCORE Act by House GOP leaders about two hours before it was originally slated for a final vote was seen as a sign it no longer had enough support to pass.
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"The SCORE Act was pulled from consideration because it simply didn't have the votes, a clear sign that Members on both sides saw it for what it was: a gift to the NCAA and the Power Two conferences at the expense of athletes. This bill would have imposed new restrictions on athletesm, while doing nothing to address the real instability in college athletics.," Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) wrote in a social media post after the vote was scuttled.
