Bill Text: IL HR0895 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges the House Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education to hold subject matter hearings on the administration and funding of high school sports, the safety of high school athletes, the systems and protocols of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), the costs and income associated with the administration of high school sports, and the feasibility of statutorily transferring the duties and functions of the IHSA to the State Board of Education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-04-07 - Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Mary E. Flowers [HR0895 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-HR0895-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Thousands of young students participate in high | ||||||
3 | school athletic and academic
competitions in Illinois each | ||||||
4 | school year; and
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5 | WHEREAS, High school athletic and academic contests are an | ||||||
6 | integral part of all communities
across Illinois, both small | ||||||
7 | and large; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Public high school athletic and academic programs | ||||||
9 | belong to the taxpayers who fund
their local school districts | ||||||
10 | across Illinois; and
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11 | WHEREAS, The health and safety of those students and | ||||||
12 | student athletes is of paramount importance;
and
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13 | WHEREAS, School districts incur substantial costs to | ||||||
14 | enable students and student athletes to have
broad athletic and | ||||||
15 | academic opportunities; and
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16 | WHEREAS, The State Board of Education provides general | ||||||
17 | oversight to school districts throughout
Illinois; and
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18 | WHEREAS, The Illinois High School Athletic Association | ||||||
19 | (IHSA) provides oversight and
administrative assistance to |
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1 | school athletic programs and other extra-curricular programs; | ||||||
2 | and
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3 | WHEREAS, The IHSA regulates, or has attempted to regulate, | ||||||
4 | access to high school athletic and
academic events, including | ||||||
5 | access by members of local community media organizations; and
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6 | WHEREAS, The IHSA has entered into exclusive contracts with | ||||||
7 | vendors and suppliers to identify
particular types of balls, | ||||||
8 | bats, and other athletic equipment and clothing that are | ||||||
9 | required to be
used by IHSA members, in return for monetary | ||||||
10 | compensation to the IHSA; and
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11 | WHEREAS, The IHSA and other state athletic associations | ||||||
12 | have discussed a national venture to
control access to and | ||||||
13 | distribution of video and other media coverage of publicly | ||||||
14 | funded high
school athletic and academic competitions; and
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15 | WHEREAS, The IHSA has refused to make public exclusive | ||||||
16 | contracts with vendors and suppliers of
"the official state | ||||||
17 | basketball" and similar contracts, including the income to IHSA | ||||||
18 | from such
sponsorships; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Illinois high schools should be aware of the funds | ||||||
20 | generated by these contracts
between the IHSA and vendors and | ||||||
21 | suppliers, as well as the revenues generated by the athletic
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1 | and academic contests in which Illinois's student athletes | ||||||
2 | participate; and
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3 | WHEREAS, With few exceptions, IHSA members may compete only | ||||||
4 | with other IHSA members in athletic
and academic contests (IHSA | ||||||
5 | Constitution Section 2.050) resulting in virtual mandatory
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6 | membership in the IHSA for schools; and
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7 | WHEREAS, The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh | ||||||
8 | Circuit's final holding in the case of
Wisconsin | ||||||
9 | Interscholastic Athletic Association, and American, Inc. v. | ||||||
10 | Gannett Co., Inc., and
Wisconsin Newspaper Association.658 | ||||||
11 | F.3d 614, is contrary to the public policy of the State of
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12 | Illinois, and it is incumbent upon this General Assembly to | ||||||
13 | enact legislation to properly re-state
the policy of the State; | ||||||
14 | therefore, be it
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15 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
16 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
17 | the House Committee on
Elementary and Secondary Education be | ||||||
18 | encouraged to hold subject matter hearings on the
issues | ||||||
19 | presented by this Resolution, the administration and funding of | ||||||
20 | high school sports, the
safety of high school athletes, the | ||||||
21 | systems and protocols of the IHSA, the costs and income
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22 | associated with the administration of high school sports | ||||||
23 | (including any trademarks or copyrights
claimed by the IHSA) |
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1 | and the feasibility of statutorily transferring the duties and | ||||||
2 | functions of
the IHSA to the Illinois State Board of Education; | ||||||
3 | the committee is further asked to examine
the issues of | ||||||
4 | transparency and accountability in relation to high school | ||||||
5 | athletic and academic
programs in Illinois; the Committee is | ||||||
6 | encouraged to make recommendations to the full House
of | ||||||
7 | Representatives on these issues.
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