A bipartisan coalition of leaders from the House Committees on Energy & Commerce, Education & Workforce, and Judiciary has introduced the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, the most sweeping federal plan yet to regulate name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings in college sports. The measure was unveiled on 10 July and received its first markup in the Energy & Commerce panel’s Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade subcommittee on 15 July, signaling Republican leaders’ intent to move the bill quickly through the chamber. The 30-page proposal would pre-empt the patchwork of state NIL statutes by establishing a single national framework. Schools in the 70 highest-revenue athletic programs could share up to 22 percent of their average annual athletics revenue directly with athletes, while maintaining the student-athlete model by expressly forbidding athletes from being classified as employees of their universities, conferences or the NCAA. To curb what sponsors call “NIL chaos,” the bill shields the NCAA, a new College Sports Commission and conferences from most antitrust lawsuits when they enforce rules on transfers, eligibility and NIL contract disclosures. Athletes would have to report third-party NIL deals worth more than $600, and agents would be limited to a 5 percent commission and required to register before representing players. Universities would be mandated to provide broader health and educational benefits, including paying out-of-pocket medical expenses for sports-related injuries for at least three years after a student leaves school and guaranteeing scholarship aid for athletes who return to finish their degrees. Additional provisions bar institutions with media rights revenue above $50 million from subsidizing athletics with student fees and require Division I schools with highly paid coaches to field at least 16 varsity teams. If enacted, the SCORE Act would take effect on 1 July 2026, overriding existing state laws. Sponsors from both parties argue that the legislation will restore stability to college athletics, protect Olympic and women’s sports, and deliver the financial clarity athletes and universities have sought since NIL payments became legal in 2021.