The Equal Pay for Team USA Act (S. 2333) passed the United States House of Representatives on Wednesday by a vote of 350 to 59. Now the bill has passed through both chambers and will make its way to the President’s desk for signature.
The bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and co-sponsored by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) requires the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and National Governing Bodies to compensate male and female athletes equally if their sport includes male and female athletes. Compensation includes medical care and travel arrangements. Notably, the bill only applies to funds from the committee or National Governing Bodies.
To ensure compliance, the Olympic and Paralympic Committee and National Governing Bodies will have to submit an annual report to Congress, including information regarding the amount of compensation provided to male and female athletes.
The bill comes after the United States Women’s National Team signed a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which set equal pay for both the men’s and women’s national teams, including an equal distribution of World Cup prize money. The first-of-its-kind CBA has set a new standard for equal pay and served as a catalyst for the Equal Pay for Team USA Act.
After addressing equal pay for United States athletes serving at the international level, Congress could set its sights on the disparities in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in future sessions. Either way, the passage of the Equal Pay for Team USA Act is a victory in addressing disparities in wages, medical care, and travel for male and female athletes.
Landis Barber is an attorney at Safran Law Offices in Raleigh, North Carolina. You can connect with him via LinkedIn or via his blog offthecourtdocket.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Landisbarber.
