Bilirakis, Dingell and Lujan Working to Develop Bipartisan, Bicameral Framework to Protect College Athletes and Preserve Collegiate Sports

Washington DC: On the heels of this year’scollege football season and the widely watched NCAA College Football National Championship game, U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis, who serves as Chairman of the House Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee looks forward to discussing the latest version of the Fairness, Accountability, and Integrity in Representation of College Sports Act (FAIR College Sports Act) Discussion Draft

Chairman Bilirakis is actively working with his Subcommittee Members, including Representative Debbie Dingell, who represents the home state of the newly crowned NCAA College Champion Michigan Wolverines, and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujan to develop a bipartisan, bicameral bill that will establish a national framework to govern how student athletes receive compensation for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.  This announcement marks significant progress on moving this priority forward and reflects feedback and testimony from current and former collegiate athletes, university presidents and athletic directors, the NCAA, and conference presidents imploring Congress to take action to create a level playing field for all students and educational institutions across the nation.  

“It is Congress’ responsibility to establish a clear set of rules so our young people are protected, opportunities for them are promoted, and amateur sports of all kinds are preserved. Our goal is to ensure that NIL deals are transparent and fair, while protecting the integrity of college athletics,” said Congressman Bilirakis. “The Discussion Draft legislation strikes the delicate balance of preserving the ability of college athletes to profit from their own NIL, while maintaining the amateur status of all college athletes. I look forward to working with my colleagues on a bipartisan and bicameral fashion to get this bill across the finish line, and I am confident we will create a system that is fair, transparent, and beneficial for all.”  

"Throughout the school year, college sports fans enjoy cheering on their favorite teams. And whether you’re a star quarterback in the Rose Bowl or a walk-on basketball player at a small college, student athletes devote themselves to excellence, both on and off the field. Many of these athletes also bring in millions in revenue for their schools,” said Senator Luján. “In the less than three years since the NCAA voted to allow student athletes to receive compensation in exchange for use of their name, image, and likeness, we’ve seen unregulated groups swoop in with large amounts of money attempting to influence recruiting and transfers. That's why I’m proud to support this discussion draft and the work of my colleagues in the House. We can both protect the rights of student athletes to engage in NIL deals while also ensuring transparency and oversight."

 “Monday night’s College Football Championship – which Michigan won – demonstrated the immense potential of college athletics and what’s at stake as we determine its future. As the representative of a district with a significant college athlete population, at schools big and small, I am committed to crafting meaningful federal legislation that ensures all players are treated fairly, female athletes are protected and elevated, and the integrity of college sports is maintained. It’s important we bring everyone to the table as we work on this – from athletes and coaches to universities, conferences, and other stakeholders. There is still much work to be done, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with Rep. Bilirakis, Senator Lujan, and my colleagues who have been working on this for a long time, including Rep. Trahan, to address all issues that have been raised to me by all interested parties in our conversations.  As the college sports landscape continues to grow and evolve, it’s clear we need to come together on a national standard that protects and empowers college athletes,” said Representative Dingell.   

In addition to preempting state laws, the FAIR College Sports Act Discussion Draft Framework would: 

• Protect the rights of student athletes to earn compensation and sign agents to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), 
• Ban pay-for-play by prohibiting boosters, collectives, and other third parties from offering inducements to attend or transfer to specificinstitutions or to perform specific in-competition actions or promotions, 

• Require transparency and registration for agents, boosters, collectives, and third-party licensees when NIL deals are signed to ensure disclosure on the types of deals signed, amount of money involved, and actual activities performed because of an NIL agreement, and 
• Establish an independent non-governmental organization, the US Intercollegiate Athletics Commission (USIAC), to oversee, set rules, enforce, and provide guidance to student athletes and collectives on the NIL process. The USIAC will be tasked with creating a registration process, creating a database for NIL information, and providing quarterly transparency reports.  When enforcing its rules, USAIC will refer enforcement actions to the Federal Trade Commission for agents and third parties and to the NCAA for schools and student athletes.