I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 599 

To prohibit the receipt of Federal funds by any institution of higher education 

with a football team that participates in the NCAA Division I Football 

Bowl Subdivision, unless the national championship game of such Subdivision is the culmination of a playoff system. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 16, 2009 

Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To prohibit the receipt of Federal funds by any institution 

of higher education with a football team that participates 

in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, unless the national championship game of such Subdivision 

is the culmination of a playoff system. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Championship Fair5 ness Act of 2009’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION. 

2 (a) PROHIBITION.—An institution of higher edu3 cation shall not be eligible to receive any Federal funds 

4 for any fiscal year during which the institution has a foot5 ball team that participates in the National Collegiate Ath6 letic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Sub7 division, unless the national championship game of such 

8 Subdivision is the culmination of a playoff system. 

9 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 

10 (1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

11 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

12 meaning given such term in section 102 of the High13 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

14 (2) PLAYOFF SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘playoff sys15 tem’’ means a system by which the national cham16 pionship game of the NCAA Division I Football 

17 Bowl Subdivision is the final game of a single elimi18 nation post-season playoff system for which all 

19 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision con20 ferences and unaffiliated NCAA Division I Football 

21 Bowl Subdivision teams are eligible. 

22 SEC. 3. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 

23 (a) OTHER SPORTS NOT AFFECTED.—Nothing in 

24 this Act shall be construed to affect the post-season play25 off system of any sport, division, subdivision, or athletic 


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1 program other than the NCAA Division I Football Bowl 

2 Subdivision. 

3 (b) BOWL GAMES PERMITTED.—Nothing in this Act 

4 shall be construed to prevent— 

5 (1) a playoff system that incorporates the post6 season NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision 

7 bowl games established before the date of the enact8 ment of this Act, including names, sponsorships, and 

9 locations for such bowl games; or 

10 (2) bowl games carried out independent of the 

11 playoff system required by this Act, including bowl 

12 games established before, on, and after the date of 

13 the enactment of this Act. 

14 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

15 The prohibition in section 2(a) shall apply to any in16 stitution of higher education with a football team partici17 pating in an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision 

18 game on or after the date that is 3 years after the date 

19 of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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