Professional Sports Integrity Act of 2005
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Professional Sports Integrity Act of 2005 - Prohibits Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, or the National Hockey League from organizing or producing, or any person from competing in, a professional baseball, basketball, football, or hockey game without meeting the testing requirements established by this Act. Requires each such league to implement testing for the use of prohibited substances by professional athletes who compete in that league, including: (1) testing each athlete at least four times a year, twice during both the season and the off-season; (2) additional testing with reasonable cause; and (3) testing for all substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Requires for each athlete who tests positive: (1) a suspension for a minimum of two years for the first positive test result; (2) a permanent ban for any subsequent positive test result; (3) public disclosure of both the athlete's name and the prohibited substance; and (4) an opportunity to appeal.
Deems a violation of this Act to be an unfair or deceptive act or practice. Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce this Act.
Requires biennial reports for each league.
Expresses the sense of Congress that other professional sports leagues should adopt policies and procedures for the testing of steroids and other illicit substances that are substantially similar to those required by this Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 19, 2005. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 3, 2005: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JOHN SWEENEY (R-NY) introduced it on May 19, 2005. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 19, 2005, 7784 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7769 days ago, on June 3, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers