SCORE Act

Summary

On July 15, 2025, the House Committee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a markup of H.R. 4312, the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act. No witnesses were listed for this hearing. The SCORE Act provides a comprehensive framework for compensating student athletes for the use of their name, image, or likeness (NIL). Specifically, the bill statutorily prohibits institutions, conferences, and athletic associations such as the NCAA from restricting student athletes' ability to enter NIL agreements. The legislation also addresses elements of a court-approved settlement in college athlete litigation. For institutions generating $20 million or more annually from intercollegiate athletics, the bill requires them to provide counseling and medical benefits to student athletes and maintain at least 16 varsity sports teams. The bill also establishes registration and disclosure requirements for athlete agents assisting with endorsement contracts. As a markup, this hearing represented the committee's review and consideration of amendments to the bill before deciding whether to advance it. The committee's action at markup does not guarantee the bill will proceed to a floor vote or become law.

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Summary

On July 23, 2025, the House Committee on Education and Workforce held a markup session to consider five bills addressing labor and education policy. The bills examined were H.R. 1319 (Modern Worker Empowerment Act), H.R. 1320 (Modern Worker Security Act), H.R. 4366 (Save Local Business Act), H.R. 4312 (SCORE Act), and H.R. 4307 (Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act). H.R. 1319 would clarify the standard for determining whether workers are independent contractors or employees under federal labor law, replacing the current "ABC" test with a narrower standard focused on control and entrepreneurial opportunity. H.R. 1320 would create a safe harbor allowing businesses to offer portable benefits—such as health insurance, retirement savings, and paid leave—to independent contractors without triggering reclassification as employers. H.R. 4366 would define "joint employer" status to require direct, actual, and immediate control over workers' essential employment terms, affecting franchises and subcontracting relationships. H.R. 4312 would establish federal standards for student-athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreements, prohibiting colleges from restricting NIL deals while requiring certain support services at high-revenue institutions. H.R. 4307 would require the Department of Labor to train employees to detect human trafficking and refer suspected cases to law enforcement. The committee voted on multiple amendments. H.R. 1319 advanced on a 19-16 vote, H.R. 1320 on 19-16, H.R. 4366 on 20-16, and H.R. 4312 passed committee consideration. Several Democratic amendments to these bills failed by recorded votes. The bills now move toward potential floor consideration, though passage is not guaranteed.

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Summary

On July 23, 2025, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a markup of two bills. H.R. 4312, the SCORE Act, aims to protect the name, image, and likeness rights of student athletes and promote fair competition in intercollegiate athletics. H.R. 4273 seeks to reauthorize the Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Program (OMUFA) for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. The OMUFA program allows the FDA to collect user fees from manufacturers of over-the-counter monograph drugs to support regulatory activities, with the FDA committing to meet negotiated performance goals. This would be the first reauthorization of the program since its establishment. The current legislative authority for OMUFA expires on September 30, 2025, making timely reauthorization necessary. No witnesses were listed for this markup session. Following the markup, both bills were sent to the House for consideration. A markup is a procedural step where a committee reviews and potentially amends legislation before voting on whether to advance it to the full chamber, but passage in committee does not guarantee the bills will become law.

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On December 2, 2025, the House Committee on Rules held a hearing on six bills: H.R. 4312 (SCORE Act), H.R. 1049 (Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act), H.R. 1069 (PROTECT Our Kids Act), H.R. 1005 (Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems Act), H.R. 4305 (DUMP Red Tape Act), and H.R. 2965 (Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act of 2025). The Rules Committee does not hear testimony on bills themselves; rather, it determines the procedures for floor debate. The committee voted to advance a rule allowing floor consideration of these bills under a closed rule with one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill. The bills address diverse policy areas. H.R. 1005 requires public schools to disclose foreign funding and contracts exceeding $10,000 to the Secretary of Education. H.R. 1069 would prohibit federal education funds for schools receiving support from China's government. H.R. 4312 addresses student athlete name, image, and likeness rights in college sports. H.R. 4305 establishes a Red Tape Hotline for small businesses to report burdensome federal regulations to the Small Business Administration. H.R. 2965 focuses on small business regulatory reduction. H.R. 1049 addresses transparency in foreign contributions to education. The Rules Committee reported the resolution governing floor consideration by a 7-4 vote on December 1, 2025, and the House agreed to the rule by a vote of 210-209 on December 2, 2025. The hearing itself did not include witness testimony, as Rules Committee hearings focus on procedural matters rather than substantive policy debate. Passage of the rule does not guarantee the bills will advance; it only sets the terms for floor consideration.

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