House Energy and Commerce committee advances SCORE Act after contentious markup over athlete protections and antitrust language

The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to report H.R. 4312, the SCORE Act, after a full‑committee markup that featured sharp debate over athlete protections, antitrust liability and the scope of state law preemption.

The SCORE Act aims to set a national framework for name, image and likeness (NIL) policy and to create an Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Association (IIAA) to govern aspects of transfers, eligibility and revenue sharing. Chairman Brett Guthrie, speaking as the markup opened, said without clear federal standards “student athletes will be left to fend for themselves against bad actors” and framed the bill as delivering “student athlete benefits, stability, and transparency.”

Committee Democrats and a number of Republicans pushed back, saying the measure as written shields the NCAA and conferences from accountability and leaves athletes with weak or legally unenforceable protections. Ranking Member Frank Pallone called the bill “nothing more than a major giveaway to the National Collegiate Athletic Association,” saying it “fails to offer meaningful protections to college athletes.” Representative Lori Trahan and others said the committee rushed the markup and pressed for further changes before final passage.

Most significant points

- Antitrust exemption and scope: Democrats repeatedly…