Vote on NIL regulation bill canceled despite Trump’s support

A vote in Parliament on the SCORE (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements) Act, which would regulate name, image and likeness agreements, was canceled shortly before it was due to be brought to the floor.

There was a vote on Tuesday to bring it to the floor, which won 210-209. The vote in Parliament was supposed to take place around 4 p.m. ET, but was canceled at 2 p.m.

The White House approved the legislation on Tuesday, but three Republicans, Byron Donalds (Fla.), Scott Perry (Pa.) and Chip Roy (Texas) voted with Democrats not to bring the legislation to the floor. Democrats have largely opposed the bill, urging members of the House to vote “no.”

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“The unique American institution of collegiate athletics provides life-changing educational and leadership development opportunities to more than 500,000 student-athletes through nearly $4 billion in scholarships each year, fuels American Olympic success and serves as an indelible part of many local economies and communities,” the White House said in a statement Tuesday.

“Yet the future of college sports, and particularly the future of Olympic and non-revenue sports, is threatened by significant legal and financial uncertainty. Urgent federal action is needed to provide the stability, fairness and balance that will protect student-athletes and preserve collegiate athletic opportunities.”

The White House added that the law “is a crucial step toward passing legislation that will preserve and strengthen this institution that is central to American culture and success.” It did not respond to a request for comment regarding Wednesday’s cancellation.

The SCORE Act would grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools. It prohibits schools from using tuition fees to fund NIL payments. Republicans could try to vote on the law as early as Thursday.

Roy wrote X on Wednesday that he would “vote no” on the action.

The NCAA logo on the entrance sign outside the NCAA headquarters on February 28, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

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“The (college sports) SCORE Act is well-intentioned but falls short and is not ready for prime time. I will vote no. Putting aside the process issues (we should have been able to amend)… there are plenty of legitimate concerns and questions,” Roy wrote.

The Congressional Black Caucus also opposed the action in a statement Wednesday.

“We can all agree that college athletes need stronger protections. Unfortunately, the SCORE Act does not provide them,” it said. “It would permanently strip college athletes of labor and employment rights, including the right to organize, prevent them from challenging harmful or anti-competitive conduct, and grant the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and conferences comprehensive immunity when their actions jeopardize the athletes’ education, health, safety, or financial well-being.

“We cannot lose sight of the human impact here. At the center of this problem are the college athletes, many of whom are black students and who may not come from significant financial resources. College athletes all too often report that they struggle with injuries, food insecurity, poverty and homelessness. It is completely unfair that universities and small coaches do something for their schools while lining the pockets of colleges. These profits are possible.”

The NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is shown on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Michael Conroy, File/AP Photo)

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “save college sports” in July.