The authors of a Senate bill that would overhaul college athletics warned this week that a lack of congressional action this year could financially wreck historically Black colleges and universities and could reduce chances for college educations for minority students.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said they have been reaching out to members of the Congressional Black Caucus and want the group’s input as they seek the necessary votes in both chambers.
The CBC, however, has shown no signs of backing the bill. The caucus, which led the way in shelving a competing House measure in protest over a recent round of redistricting related to the voting power of Black voters, urged Cruz and Cantwell in a June 3 letter to “pause” action on their college athletics bill.
A spokesperson for the CBC said Thursday that the June 3 letter remains the collective stance of the caucus. The group includes 58 House members and four senators.
Cruz and Cantwell have refined an argument, aimed at securing some CBC support, that their “Protect College Sports Act” is the lone measure on the Hill capable of becoming law — and doing nothing legislatively would simply be a choice historically Black colleges and universities could not, literally, afford.
