SCORE Act
Click any stage to learn more about the legislative process.
The SCORE Act would create a federal framework letting college athletes profit from their name, image, and likeness while barring colleges, conferences, and associations like the NCAA from restricting those deals, and would bar athletes from being classified as employees.
It would also preempt state NIL laws with a single national standard, require large athletic programs to provide health and academic benefits and maintain at least 16 varsity teams, and shield NCAA-style rules from antitrust lawsuits.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would bar institutions, conferences, and interstate athletic associations such as the NCAA from restricting a student athlete's ability to sign a name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreement, while letting associations set rules on eligibility, transfers, recruiting, agent registration, and a revenue-based "pool limit" on institutional payments to athletes. It would require institutions generating $20 million or more annually from athletics to provide counseling, medical benefits, degree-completion assistance, and at least 16 varsity teams. It would amend the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act to cap agent fees and require disclosures, and would amend the Higher Education Act to require disclosure of athletic fees and restrict their use at high-media-revenue schools. The bill would declare that student athletes are not employees of their institution, conference, or association, and would preempt state laws governing athlete compensation, benefits, eligibility, or employment status that conflict with the Act. Compliance with the Act's association-rule provisions would be deemed lawful under federal and state antitrust laws, and it would not affect Title IX.
Key provisions
- 1Would prohibit institutions, conferences, and athletic associations from restricting a student athlete's ability to enter NIL agreements, with limited exceptions.
- 2Would amend the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act to cap agent fees at 5 percent and require disclosure of agent registration status.
- 3Would require institutions with $20 million or more in annual athletics revenue to provide medical, counseling, and degree-completion benefits and maintain 16 varsity teams.
- 4Would authorize interstate athletic associations to set rules on eligibility, transfers, recruiting, pool limits, and agent registration.
- 5Would deem compliance with association rules established under the Act lawful under federal and state antitrust laws.
- 6Would bar student athletes from being classified as employees of institutions, conferences, or athletic associations.
- 7Would preempt conflicting state laws governing athlete compensation, benefits, eligibility, and employment status.
Who would be affected
College athletes and prospective athletes, institutions of higher education with big-money sports programs, athletic conferences, interstate athletic associations like the NCAA, sports agents who represent student athletes, and state attorneys general who currently enforce their own NIL laws.
Why it matters
Athletes would gain a federally protected right to NIL deals but lose employee status and some state-law protections, since a single federal standard would override varying state rules. Large athletic departments would face new spending mandates on health, academics, and roster sizes, while associations would gain antitrust protection for their eligibility and compensation rules.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act (Sec. 4)
Caps agent fees at 5 percent of an athlete's compensation and adds disclosure and consent requirements for agents.
Amends Higher Education Act of 1965 (Sec. 9)
Requires disclosure of athletic fees and restricts their use at institutions with $50 million or more in media rights revenue.
Amends Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Sec. 7)
Clarifies that nothing in the Act limits or affects Title IX's application.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Requirement that covered institutions maintain at least 16 varsity sports teams
- Higher Education Act athletic fee transparency amendments
- Restriction on using student fees at high-media-revenue institutions
- FTC report on an independent agent-certification program
- First biennial compliance report from interstate athletic associations
- Comptroller General compliance investigation and report
- Comptroller General study on effects on Olympic sports
How implementation would work
Interstate athletic associations would write and publish rules on pool limits, transfers, agent registration, and dispute resolution, subject to governance requirements including athlete representation on decision-making bodies. Covered institutions (those with $20 million-plus in athletics revenue) would have to meet new benefit and roster requirements by July 1, 2027, and comply through Higher Education Act program participation agreements enforced by the Department of Education. The Federal Trade Commission would study an independent agent-certification program and report within a year, associations would file biennial compliance reports to Congress, and the Comptroller General would audit compliance and study effects on Olympic sports over five years.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
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.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act or the SCORE Act
This bill provides a framework for the compensation of student athletes for the use of their name, image, or likeness (NIL). This includes addressing certain elements of the court approved agreement to settle the In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (i.e., House settlement).
Specifically, the bill statutorily prohibits institutions, conferences, or interstate intercollegiate athletic associations (e.g., the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)) from restricting the ability of a student athlete to enter an NIL agreement.
The bill also requires institutions of higher education that generate $20 million or more in annual revenue from the institution's intercollegiate athletics activities to (1) provide counseling and medical benefits to student athletes, and (2) establish and maintain at least 16 varsity sports teams.
Further, the bill authorizes interstate intercollegiate athletic associations to establish rules with respect to athletic eligibility, transfers, recruitment, and the disclosure of NIL agreements.
Under the bill, student athletes may not be considered employees of an institution, conference, or interstate intercollegiate athletic association.
The bill also preempts state laws with respect to compensation, payments, benefits, employment status, eligibility, and academic standards applicable to student athletes.
Compliance with the provisions of this bill is considered lawful under federal and state antitrust laws.
Legislative subjects
Athletes; Educational facilities and institutions; Higher education; Retail and wholesale trades; School athletics; Sports and Recreation; Student aid and college costs; Wages and earnings
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-270,Part 4