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The Protect College Sports Act has garnered bipartisan support in the Senate, nearing a final vote either Friday or early next week. But the bill is expected to face major hurdles in the House.
Many House Republicans have significant concerns with the bill in its current form, senior GOP aides tell Front Office Sports. Any dissent from the right could prove perilous for the PCSA, as Republicans have only a slim majority in the House, and it’s unclear how many Democrats will support it.
Early Detractors
From the moment the PCSA was introduced, certain House Republicans raised concerns—namely those who were proponents of the more right-leaning SCORE Act, a bill backed by the NCAA and power conferences that ultimately did not receive enough support to reach a floor vote.
In May, House Education and Workforce Committee chairman Tim Walberg (R., Mich.) and Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Brett Guthrie (R., Ky.), whose committees have jurisdiction over the bill, criticized multiple aspects of it. Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.) levied harsh criticism against the PCSA earlier this summer.
In the time since the earliest criticisms, the PCSA has gone through several new iterations—but the revisions haven’t addressed the concerns these Republicans previously raised.
Now, aides and other sources tell FOS a large group of Republicans maintains some of the concerns raised earlier this summer, including the question of whether college athletes would be deemed employees, and has raised new issues including a potential limit on international athletes and concerns over an expansion clause.
Current Concerns
The PCSA states nothing in the bill should be construed as evidence that players either are or are not employees. This “neutrality” clause is central to multiple GOPers’ criticism of the bill. Many House Republicans view a clause fully prohibiting player employee status as critical to any college sports legislation, the aides said. A similar clause was a key provision in the SCORE Act.
Florida Sens. Ashley Moody and Rick Scott have both voted against advancing the PCSA multiple times after receiving pressure from some Florida schools to oppose the bill due to current limitations on conference realignment. Lawmakers in the House from multiple states are seeing similar pressure, the aides and other sources familiar with the discussions told FOS.
After Moody and Scott took a stand, some House Republicans appeared to follow their lead. Last week, one Florida Republican, Rep. Jimmy Patronis, called the bill “a hot mess,” citing multiple concerns and saying he preferred the SCORE Act. Another, Rep. Neal Dunn, shared FSU’s statement regarding the expansion provision and praised the SCORE Act. (FSU, Miami, and USF athletics CEO Rob Higgins have also backed Moody and Scott.)
Some GOP lawmakers see other issues as well, the aides said, including concerns about the potential litigation allowed by the “private right of action” clause (which allows players to still sue schools in certain instances), and the funding that would be earmarked for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Plus, a growing number of House Republicans are interested in adding to any college sports bill a provision limiting how many international athletes could participate on college sports teams. Last week, Michigan’s Walberg and Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio) separately introduced the TEAM USA Act, which would prohibit any varsity sports program from offering more than 20% of roster spots to international athletes.
Among other potential detractors: Rep. Michael Cloud (R., Texas) appeared to critique the PCSA on Wednesday, writing in a post on X/Twitter that he was “bewildered by the urgency of so many in Congress to ‘save college sports’ when college education still needs saving.” Fellow Texas Republican, Rep. Chip Roy, quote-tweeted the post simply saying, “$.” (Representatives for the lawmakers did not respond to requests for comment seeking clarification.)
Getting the PCSA Across the Line
It’s not all bad news for the PCSA, however.
Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R., Wash.), a public critic of the SCORE Act, has endorsed the PCSA. A lobbyist also told FOS they expect some Democrats to be in favor of the current version of the bill. But between post-midterm dynamics and strong opposition from the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as labor and civil rights organizations, that will be a difficult prospect.
Plus, President Donald Trump, who has endorsed the bill multiple times, could likely exert pressure on House Republicans to fall in line. The White House is aware of some of the House Republicans’ current concerns, the aides said. But Trump still supports the bill—just last week, he called out the two rogue Florida senators in a Truth Social post. One Senate GOP aide told FOS they expected House Republicans to ultimately fall in line with Trump.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) said last week that he would take up the PCSA when the chamber returns after the midterm elections in November. But he didn’t give it a clear endorsement of the bill itself, instead saying he would work to find a compromise.
Even if the House passes the PCSA, the bill would have to return to the Senate for another vote if amendments are made—causing an even bigger time crunch. Democrats would likely have to get on board with a more conservative bill, particularly with regard to the international athlete ban and employee status ban.
If the legislation can’t get to Trump’s desk before the next Congress is sworn in Jan. 3, the legislative process would have to restart.
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