“Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act” Bill 2330 Passed in U.S. Senate and House

Senate Bill 2330, the “Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act,” was passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate in August 2020, and was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on October 1, 2020. Brett Heimov, Envision Strategy Managing Director, served as the pro-bono lobbyist for the bill, working tirelessly to get the bill passed by congress.

The bill amends the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act to provide for congressional oversight of the board of directors of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), and establishes safeguards to protect amateur athletes from emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, including sexual abuse, by coaches and employees in U.S. Olympic and Paralympic sports.

The bill includes three major reforms:

• Strengthening legal liability and accountability mechanisms for the U.S. Olympic Committee and National Governing Bodies
• Restoring a culture of putting athletes first
• Fortifying the independence of the Center for SafeSport

With these changes, athletes will benefit from the enforcement of boundaries and professional standards for athletes and those in power, protections for whistle blowers, budget allocation for the US Center for SafeSport, and more.

The bill now awaits a signature from President Donald Trump, and Congress will soon appoint a 16-person commission to further re-write the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act.

Learn more about the “Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act” on the Congress website.