USMMA Athletics Act of 2025
Where It Stands
AI Summary
This bill authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to establish a federally owned, non-profit corporation to manage and support the athletic programs of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). The corporation would be empowered to enter into contracts, lease academy property, and handle licensing and marketing for USMMA trademarks, similar to the support structures used by other federal service academies. The primary goal is to provide a more flexible and efficient funding and administrative model for the academy's sports teams.
Impact & Passage
Composite Passage Score
Medium confidenceBased on 4 of 5 available signals
View signal breakdown
LLM-only estimate
The bill has strong bipartisan support with sponsors from both parties (Wicker and Kelly) and addresses administrative efficiencies for a federal service academy, which is generally a non-controversial topic. The existence of an identical House bill suggests coordinated efforts across chambers, though its passage will depend on the broader legislative calendar of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
Provisions
Designates the act as the 'USMMA Athletics Act of 2025'.
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to create a New York-based corporation to support USMMA athletics, with all stock owned by the U.S. government.
Sets rules for the board of directors, requiring them to serve without pay and allowing up to one-third of the board to be Department of Transportation employees.
Allows the Secretary to enter the corporation into sole-source contracts and cooperative agreements to acquire property and services for the academy's athletics.
Permits the Secretary to lease USMMA real property to the corporation for up to 5 years, provided the property is not currently needed for academy use.
Allows the Department of Transportation to transfer existing non-appropriated athletic funds, assets, and liabilities to the new corporation.
Empowers the corporation to enter into licensing, marketing, and sponsorship deals involving USMMA trademarks, subject to government approval.
Amends Title 49 of the U.S. Code to clarify the Secretary's authority to license USMMA intellectual property and use the fees for the academy's recruiting and program costs.
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Version History
Related Legislation
Actions
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.