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Spotlight on the Championship Fairness Act of 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
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Sponsor: Rep. Gary G. Miller (R-CA)
Co-Sponsors: Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Joe Barton (R-TX), and Ken Calvert (R-CA).
Text (PDF provided by the United States Government Printing Office)
Summary and Status (provided by The Library of Congress): H. R. 599 was introduced on January 16, 2009 and referred to the Committee on Education and Labor.
Stating that the BCS “has shown that the only way to accurately determine a champion is to create a playoff system that is open to all teams,” and that “it’s time to settle the issue on the field,” Rep. Gary Miller introduced the “Championship Fairness Act of 2009” on January 16, 2009.[1]
The Championship Fairness Act of 2009 prohibits “the receipt of Federal funds by any institution of higher education with a football team that participates in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, unless the national championship game of such Subdivision is the culmination of a playoff system.” The Act takes effect three years after enactment, and defines “playoff system” as “a system by which the national championship game of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision is the final game of a single elimination post-season playoff system for which all NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and unaffiliated NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams are eligible.”
The Act leaves the precise details of the playoff system, including the number of teams included in the playoff, to be determined by NCAA FBS members. The Act would not prevent the establishment of a system that incorporates current bowl games, sponsors, and locations. It also expressly states that it would not prohibit the continuation of bowl games that are independent of the playoff system required by the Act.
If passed by both the U.S. House and Senate and signed by the President of the United States, the Act, as a House Bill, would have the force of law.
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[1] Press Release, Representative Gary Miller, Rep. Miller Introduces Bill Requiring a College Football Playoff System (Jan. 16, 2009), http://garymiller.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=108836.
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