This report summarizes legislation currently pending before state legislatures that could affect or is of interest to staff members of intercollegiate athletics programs and student-athletes. Set forth below is a list of 23 bills from 14 states. The report includes 11 bills that have been recently introduced and 12 pending bills where legislative action has occurred since the publication of the March 13, 2000, NCAA News. Newly introduced bills are marked with an asterisk (*).

The State Legislation Report is based largely on data provided by the Information for Public Affairs online state legislation system as of March 8, 2000. The bills selected for inclusion in this report were drawn from a larger pool of measures that concern sports and, therefore, do not necessarily represent all of the bills that would be of interest to individual member institutions. Bills pending before the governing bodies of the District of Columbia and U.S. territories are not available on an online basis and are not included in this report.

The NCAA has not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the data provided by Information for Public Affairs and is providing this summary as a service to its members. For further information regarding a particular bill, members should contact the state legislature concerned.

The bills set forth below address the following subjects:

Subject Number of Bills

Athlete agents 4

Athletics events/bowl game 1

Athletics facilities. 2

Athletic trainers 5

Gambling 4

Gender equity 2

High-school extracurricular 1

Sports officials 2

Student-athlete conduct 1

Tickets 1

Two bills have become law since the last report. In Georgia, a bill was enacted to address assaults against sports officials. In South Dakota, legislation was adopted to prohibit Internet gambling. Also, in Indiana, a resolution was passed that endorsed Indianapolis' efforts to obtain a NCAA Division I-A postseason bowl game.

*Alabama SJR 55 (Author: Little)

Athlete agents. Commends Auburn University basketball player Chris Porter for his admission related to the receipt of money from a representative of a sports agent. Urges the attorney general, the district attorney of Lee County, Alabama, and the Alabama Athlete Agent Regulatory Commission to conduct a full investigation into the matter in order to determine whether evidence exists that a sports agent or his representative violated the state's athlete-agent law. Encourages Auburn to continue its investigation and determine whether to file a civil action against the sports agent and/or his representative, pursuant to the state athlete-agent law.

Status: 3/2/2000 introduced. Passed Senate. Referred to House Committee on Rules.

Arizona H 2381 (Author: Gardner)

Gambling/sports lottery. Prohibits the State Lottery Commission from establishing a lottery based on the results of any sporting event.

Status: 1/10/2000 introduced. 2/29/2000 passed as amended by House. 3/2/2000 referred to Senate Committee on Family Services. Additionally referred to Senate Committee on Rules.

Arizona H 2485 (Author: Leff)

Tickets. Prohibits a person from forging or altering a ticket, with the intent to defraud, to any sports, amusement or concert event. Imposes criminal class I misdemeanor penalties on violators.

Status: 1/11/2000 introduced. 2/23/2000 passed House. 2/29/2000 referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Agriculture and Natural Resources. Additionally referred to Senate Committee on Rules.

Arizona S 1202 (Author: Wettaw)

Athletic trainers. Appropriates $40,000 for the establishment of the Board of Athletic Trainers to oversee, evaluate and license athletic trainers. Requires athletic trainers to work under the direction of a licensed physician. Sets requirements for licensure and the use of professional titles. Lists grounds for disciplinary action and establishes penalties. Provides the public with the right to access information related to the athletic trainer's professional background and practice.

Status: 1/12/2000 introduced. 2/28/2000 passed as amended by Senate.

*Connecticut H 5794 (Author: Committee on Public Health)

Athletic trainers. Revises the licensing requirements for athletic trainers. Establishes a list of prerequisites for applicants. Exempts certain persons, including student interns, from holding a license while practicing athletic training. Requires a person practicing athletic training to make a written or oral referral to a licensed health-care provider for any person who has an injury whose symptoms have not improved for a period of seven days from the day of onset. Authorizes the Commissioner of Public Health to adopt regulations, if necessary, for the act.

Status: 2/29/2000 introduced. Referred to Joint Committee on Public Health.

*Florida H 73 (Author: Boyd)

High-school extracurricular/academic standards. Revises provisions related to the grade-point average required for participation in interscholastic extracurricular activities, including athletics. Requires the execution of an academic-performance contract between the student, the district, the governing organization for athletics and the student's parent or guardian that applies in cases where the student's cumulative grade-point average falls below 2.000. Establishes that the contract must, at a minimum, require the student to attend summer school, as necessary between grades 9-11.

Status: 3/7/2000 introduced.

*Florida H 1521 (Author: Andrews)

Athlete agents. Creates new section of state athlete-agent law imposing a criminal felony penalty on a person convicted of providing illegal inducements to an athlete. Amends act to authorize the award of treble damages to institutions that prevail in civil actions against athlete agents.

Status: 3/7/2000 introduced.

*Florida H 4005 (Author: Committee on Rules and Calendar)

Athlete agents. Repeals savings clause in athlete-agent law that provides a license to athlete agents registered on October 1, 1995.

Status: 3/7/2000 introduced.

*Florida S 710 (Author: Silver)

Athletics facilities. Allows any public facility at which a college athletics team is based to retain the proceeds of sales taxes generated by the facility, its concessionaires, ticket sales, merchandising and other transactions for the purpose of renovating and modernizing the facility.

Status: 3/7/2000 introduced.

*Florida S 2036 (Author: Silver)

Student-athlete conduct. Requires the State Board of Education to adopt uniform policies and procedures related to the arrests of student-athletes for crimes. Provides for the procedures to apply to the State University system, state community colleges and other institutions that receive state funds.

Status: 3/7/2000 introduced.

Georgia H 265 (Author: Watson)

Sports officials. States that any person who commits a simple battery or battery against a sports official, during or immediately after the officiating of an amateur contest, is subject to criminal misdemeanor penalties of a high and aggravated nature.

Status: 1/27/1999 introduced. 2/3/99 passed as amended by House. 2/4/2000 passed as amended by Senate. 2/16/2000 House concurred in Senate amendments. 2/24/2000 signed by governor.

Georgia H 1323 (Author: Hugley)

Athlete agents. Amends existing athlete-agent statute. Provides for additional grounds for refusing to register or for disciplining an athlete agent. Prohibits contact with the student-athlete before the completion of the athlete's last intercollegiate contest unless the contact is initiated by the student-athlete or his or her parent or guardian. Requires an athlete agent to send a copy of any written materials sent to a student-athlete to the athletics director of the institution of higher education in which the athlete is enrolled. Provides for the inclusion of language in agent contracts that warns the student-athlete of the loss of athletics eligibility and alerts the student-athlete of his or her right to cancel the contract. Permits the student-athlete's institution to bring a civil action against an athlete agent for recovery of damages, under certain circumstances.

Status: 2/3/2000 introduced. 2/16/2000 passed as amended by House. 3/3/2000 reported favorably by Senate Committee on Special Judiciary.

*Illinois H 3465 (Author: Lyons)

Athletics facilities/locker room policy. Prohibits any person from knowingly videotaping, photographing or filming another person without that person's consent in a locker room or changing room. Imposes Class A misdemeanor penalties on violators. Creates a class 4 felony offense for knowingly disseminating or permitting the dissemination to another person of a videotape, photograph or film of another person in a locker room without that person's consent.

Status: 1/20/2000 introduced. 2/24/2000 passed as amended by House. 2/25/2000 referred to Senate Committee on Rules.

Illinois S 1589 (Author: Karpiel)

Gender equity. Removes the provision that repealed the section authorizing the use of tuition waivers to attain gender equity in intercollegiate athletics. Changes the date when the Board must submit the gender-equity plans of public institutions of higher education to the governor and the state legislature.

Status: 2/1/2000 introduced. 2/24/2000 passed Senate. Referred to House Committee on Rules.

Indiana S 401 (Author: Server)

Athletic trainers. Removes the athletic trainer residency requirement. Exempts certain nonresident athletic trainers from licensure. Provides an exemption for student or intern trainers. Prohibits a person who is not a licensed athletic trainer from practicing athletic training or using certain terms to indicate the person is an athletic trainer. Permits the use of the title "student athletic trainer" by a student enrolled in high school or an institution of higher education while assisting an athletic trainer during school athletics activities. Establishes that a person who knowingly violates the athletic trainer statute commits a Class B misdemeanor.

Status: 1/10/2000 introduced. 2/7/2000 passed as amended by Senate. 2/23/2000 passed House.

Indiana SCR 42 (Author: Riegsecker)

Athletics events/bowl game. Endorses the process for Indianapolis to obtain a NCAA Division I-A post season football bowl game.

Status: 2/17/2000 introduced. 2/24/2000 passed Senate. 2/29/2000 passed House.

Sports officials. Establishes that a person who commits an assault against a sports official within the confines or immediate vicinity of the athletics facility or field is guilty of a serious misdemeanor, punishable by confinement for no more than one year and a fine of at least $250 but not more than $1,500.

Status: 2/24/2000 introduced.

*Maryland H 1385 (Author: Love)

Athletic trainers. Regulates athletic trainers. Creates the State Board of Athletic Trainer Examiners. Prohibits a person from providing, attempting to provide or offering to provide athletic trainer services unless licensed by the Board. Exempts certain individuals, including those who provide services under the direct supervision of a licensed athletic trainer or physician, from licensure requirement. Authorizes the Board to set reasonable fees for the issuance and renewal of licenses. Establishes requirements for licensure and authorizes Board to set continuing education requirements. Imposes misdemeanor criminal penalties, not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both, on violators of the act.

Status: 2/25/2000 introduced. Referred to House Committee on Rules and Executive Nominations.

Michigan H. 4690 (Author: Koetje)

Internet gambling. Establishes sentencing guidelines for Internet gambling.

Status: 5/18/99 introduced. 3/1/2000 passed House.

*Minnesota H 3876 (Author: Jennings)

Internet gambling. Authorizes the House research office, Minnesota lottery division and the office of Senate counsel and research to conduct a study of gambling on the Internet. Requires the study to consider the benefits and costs to Minnesota from the legalization of the activity including the financial impact on employment, potential costs and benefits to existing gambling industries, and the impact on potential gamblers.

Status: 2/24/2000 introduced. Referred to House Committee on Governmental Operations and Veterans Affairs Policy.

Oklahoma S 1214 (Author: Morgan)

Gender equity/tickets. Exempts admission tickets to events of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education from sales tax. Requires that an amount equivalent to the sales tax be collected and used for the purposes of promoting gender equity pursuant to the provisions of Title IX.

Status: 2/7/2000 introduced. 2/23/2000 reported as amended by Senate Committee on Finance.

South Dakota H 1110 (Author: Hunt)

Internet gambling. Prohibits anyone engaged in a gambling business from using the Internet to place a bet or wager. Prohibits anyone from establishing a location or Web site in the state to conduct a gambling business on or over the Internet. Imposes class six felony penalties on violators. Exempts South Dakota State Lottery from the prohibition.

Status: 1/18/2000 introduced. 2/8/2000 passed House. 2/15/2000 passed Senate. 3/3/2000 signed by governor.

Tennessee S 2559 (Author: Cooper)

Athletic trainers. Makes technical changes to athletic trainer laws. Replaces athletic trainer certificate with athletic trainer license. Changes student-trainer supervision requirements to include supervision by a licensed trainer and a licensed physician.

Status: 1/20/2000 introduced. 2/24/2000 passed as amended by Senate.