Senate Panel Moves College Sports Bill Forward
A bipartisan bill to bring new rules to college athletics cleared a key Senate committee and now heads to a full Senate vote.
A Senate committee voted on Thursday to move a new college sports bill one step closer to becoming law. The bill is called the Protect College Sports Act, or PCSA. Senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties worked together to write it, making it a bipartisan effort. The committee voted 19 to 9 to send the bill to the full Senate for debate.
The bill would give the NCAA — the group that runs college sports — some protection from certain lawsuits. It would also set rules on how student athletes can transfer to new schools, how much money they can earn, and what kind of medical care they must receive. Another part of the bill would require TV and radio broadcasters to offer at least one free way for fans to watch local college football and basketball games.
Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Maria Cantwell of Washington led the effort to write the bill. They worked with Senators Chris Coons of Delaware and Eric Schmitt of Missouri to shape the final version. At the start of Thursday's hearing, Cruz said the bill would 'preserve and strengthen our uniquely American system' of college athletics. He added that it is meant to protect fair competition and keep college sports open to more than just the richest programs.
President Trump showed his support for the bill earlier this month. He said the law would 'stop the chaos' in college athletics. Former University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban also spoke to the committee earlier this month. He said the bill 'isn't perfect,' but called it a 'serious effort to bring order to a system that badly needs fixing.'
Not everyone is on board, though. The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference — known as the SEC — are two of the most powerful groups in college sports. They said Thursday that changes still need to be made before they can support the bill. In a joint statement, they wrote that 'revisions are needed' and promised to keep working with lawmakers to make sure the bill truly helps student athletes and keeps college sports stable for years to come.
"It focuses on broader principles we're trying to protect. Fair competition, broad opportunity and a college sports system that remains open to more than a handful of the wealthiest programs."
Comprehension quiz preview
1. What is the name of the college sports bill that the Senate committee voted to advance?
2. What was the vote count when the Senate committee moved the bill forward?
3. What did former coach Nick Saban say about the Protect College Sports Act?