The House Judiciary Committee has favorably reported H.R. 3575, the College Sports Integrity Act, by a 19-9 vote.

Although the committee approved the bill by more than a 2-1 margin in the September 13 vote, several key Democrats on the panel -- including its ranking member, Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan -- previously had voiced support for the legislation but ultimately voted against it.

When the vote was tallied, all Republicans on the panel supported the measure, along with three Democrats, including Reps. Maxine Waters of California, Steven Rothman of New Jersey and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

The House bill and the Senate companion, S. 2340, are a direct response to a recommendation by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, a bipartisan, federally appointed group charged by Congress with examining the impact of legal gambling on American communities. A total prohibition against collegiate sports gambling was among several recommendations proposed in the commission's 1999 report to Congress.

Others who voted against the legislation expressed concern that it would not help address the issue of pervasive illegal gambling on college sports. Contrary to that view, the commission found that legal gambling on college sports -- allowed only in Nevada -- actually fuels the larger illegal gambling activity. Proponents of the legislation on the panel argued that it was never intended to answer all the problems associated with sports gambling but instead was a solid beginning. They argued that it should be seen in the context of a three-part strategy to include a federal ban on gambling over the Internet (another recommendation of the commission) and more stringent enforcement of existing laws. Amendments offered

Even though college and university presidents and coaches across the country have endorsed the legislation and have been strong advocates for its adoption, one member of the panel, Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York, said the presidents and coaches "frankly don't understand this issue, in my judgment, terribly well."

Two amendments were offered during consideration of H.R. 3575. One would have added professional sports to the expanded prohibition. That amendment was withdrawn at the suggestion of the bill's sponsor, Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, before the vote after concerns were raised that it would jeopardize the outcome of the underlying bill. The other was an amendment offered by Conyers that would have substituted a study on illegal gambling for the proposed blanket collegiate support prohibition. It failed by a vote of 17-11.

NCAA officials now will work with the Republican leadership in the House and Senate to urge them to allow a floor vote before Congress adjourns in early October. In the House, even though the legislation enjoys strong bipartisan support, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, and Majority Whip Tom Delay, R-Texas, reportedly have made a commitment to prevent a vote on the legislation by the full House. Efforts to persuade the Republican leaders to allow members of Congress to vote on the bill are underway.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, has agreed to allow a "cloture" vote on the bill in order to force consideration. A cloture vote is required when senators cannot agree unanimously to move to consideration of a measure. In this case, the senators from Nevada are objecting to consideration.

The day before the House Committee vote, House and Senate sponsors of the legislation held a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Dean Smith, former head men's basketball coach at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, joined the members of Congress and representatives of the higher education community, including Stan Ikenberry, president of the American Council on Education; David Warren, president of the National Council of Independent Colleges and Universities; and NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey, in urging the House and Senate leadership to allow a vote on this legislation before Congress adjourns.