Description:
Estimated Federal Cost S. 2330 would amend federal law governing the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). CBO estimates that implementing S. 2330 would have no effect on federal spending. Mandates S. 2330 would impose private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) on USOPC, the National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs), and the U.S. Center for SafeSport. CBO estimates that the cost to comply with those mandates would not exceed the threshold established in UMRA ($168 million in 2020, adjusted annually for inflation). The bill would require USOPC, the NGBs, and the Center for SafeSport to develop and adopt policies that would require mandatory reporting of abuse, limit assistance to employees accused of misconduct, prohibit payment of bonuses to employees under ethics review, and prohibit retaliation against employees or affiliates who make protected disclosures of abuse or harassment. The bill also would: Increase the representation of current and former athletes on USOPC’s Board of Directors and committees and on NGBs’ boards; Require USOPC to provide $20 million annually to the Center for SafeSport in place of a smaller amount that USOPC currently voluntarily provides to the center; Require USOPC survey athletes annually; Expand the duties of the USOPC ombudsman; Require the Center for SafeSport to establish an office of compliance to ensure that NGBs follow the policies regarding mandatory reporting of abuse; and Require USOPC to conduct a more thorough process to certify NGBs, with an emphasis on policies to protect athletes, report abuse, and increase athlete representation on governing boards. The bill also would grant the Congress the authority to dissolve the USOPC Board of Directors or to terminate the recognition of an NGB via a joint resolution. Either action, if taken by the Congress, would impose a mandate on the affected entity. For USOPC, that action would impose administrative costs to replace its leadership. For an NGB, the effect would be broader. Under current law, a recognized NGB represents the United States in its appropriate international sports federation, coordinates amateur athletic activity, selects competitors for international competitions, and conducts athletic competitions, including national championships. The loss of recognition would deprive an existing NGB of those functions. However, those mandates and associated costs would be attributed to the joint resolution that requires those actions. Based on the generally administrative nature of the duties imposed by the bill and the actions already taken by the mandated entities to meet some of the bill’s requirements, CBO estimates that the cost of the mandates would probably total tens of millions of dollars annually.
