I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3144
To amend title 36, United States Code, to amend the Federal charter of 
the United States Olympic Committee. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 23, 2003
Mr. STEARNS (for himself, Mr. STUPAK, and Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend title 36, United States Code, to amend the Federal 
charter of the United States Olympic Committee.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Olympic 
Committee Reform Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 220501(b) of title 36, United States Code, 
is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through 
(8) as paragraphs (6) through (9), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(5) ‘independent director’ means an inde-
pendent director, as defined by the bylaws of the 
corporation, who, at minimum—
‘‘(A) has not been an officer or director of 
the Executive Committee of the corporation, 
during the 3-year period prior to appointment 
as an independent director; 
‘‘(B) has not been an officer or a member 
of the Athlete’s Advisory Council, the National 
Governing Bodies Council, or of the Inter-
national Olympic Committee, during the 3-year 
period prior to appointment as an independent 
director; 
‘‘(C) has not, during the 3-year period 
prior to appointment as an independent direc-
tor, received any compensation from, and does 
not have a personal service contract with, the 
corporation, any United States Olympic Entity, 
any International Olympic entity, or a member 
of the corporation’s senior management; 
‘‘(D) has not, during the 3-year period 
prior to appointment as an independent direc-
tor, had such a close affiliation with a company
or firm that is counsel, auditor, advisor, paid 
consultant of, or has a material business rela-
tionship with, the corporation, any United 
States Olympic entity, any International Olym-
pic entity, or a member of the corporation’s 
senior management, that in the judgment of the 
Nominating and Governance Committee would 
adversely affect the director’s ability to rep-
resent the interests of the United State public 
in the activities of the corporation; 
‘‘(E) has no relationship with the corpora-
tion, any United States Olympic entity, any 
International Olympic entity, or a member of 
the corporation’s senior management that in 
the judgment of the Nominating and Govern-
ance Committee would adversely affect the di-
rector’s ability to represent the interests of the 
United State public in the activities of the cor-
poration; and 
‘‘(F) is not an immediate family member 
of any person described in subparagraphs (A) 
through (E).’’. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
Section 220503 of title 36, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
‘‘§ 220503. Purposes 
‘‘The purposes of this corporation are—
‘‘(1) to exercise exclusive jurisdiction directly or 
through constituent members or committees, over—
‘‘(A) all matters pertaining to the United 
States participation in the Olympic Games, the 
Paralympic Games, and the Pan American 
Games, including representation of the United 
States in such games; and 
‘‘(B) the organization of the Olympic 
Games, the Paralympic Games, and the Pan 
American Games when held in the United 
States; 
‘‘(2) to obtain for the United States, directly or 
by delegation to the appropriate national governing 
body or paralympic sports organization, the most 
competent amateur representation possible in each 
event of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic games, 
and the Pan American Games; 
‘‘(3) to provide for swift resolution of conflicts 
or disputes involving amateur athletes, national gov-
erning bodies, paralympic sports organizations, and 
amateur sports organizations, and protect the oppor-
tunity of any amateur athlete, coach, trainer, man-
ager, administrator, or official to participate in ama-
teur competition; and
‘‘(4) to encourage and provide assistance to 
amateur athletic programs and activities for women 
and men, athletes with disabilities, and athletes who 
are racial and ethnic minorities.’’. 
SEC. 4. GOVERNANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 2205 of title 36, United 
States Code, is amended by redesignating sections 220505 
through 220512 as sections 220506 through 220513, re-
spectively, and inserting after section 220504 the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 220505. Governance 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Consistent with the provisions of 
this chapter, the corporation shall adopt bylaws to estab-
lish and maintain provisions with respect to its governance 
which shall include the requirements contained in sub-
sections (b) through (f): 
‘‘(b) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The corporation shall be 
governed by a Board of Directors (in this chapter 
referred to as the ‘Board’) as follows: 
‘‘(A) ELECTED
MEMBERS.—The Board 
shall be composed of 9 elected members who 
shall be nominated by the Nominating and Gov-
ernance Committee (described in paragraph 
(7)(C)). The elected members shall consist of—
‘‘(i) 5 members who shall be inde-
pendent directors; 
‘‘(ii) 2 members who shall be elected 
from among individuals proposed by the 
National Governing Bodies Council; and 
‘‘(iii) 2 members who shall be elected 
from among individuals proposed by the 
Athlete’s Advisory Council. 
‘‘(B) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The Board 
shall have as ex officio members the members 
of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 
that are required by that committee’s charter. 
‘‘(C) NON-VOTING MEMBERS.—
‘‘(i) LIAISON OF THE OLYMPIC ASSEM-
BLY.—The liaison of the Olympic Assem-
bly (described in subsection (d)(3)) shall 
serve as a nonvoting ex officio member of 
the Board. 
‘‘(ii) 
REPRESENTATION
OF 
PARALYMPIC SPORTS ORGANIZATION.—Un-
less at least 1 of the elected members 
under subparagraph (A) is a representative 
of a paralympic sports organization, such a 
representative shall be appointed by the 
Nominating and Governance Committee of
‘‘(ii) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The ex 
officio members described in paragraph 
(1)(B) shall each have 1 vote on all mat-
ters on which the Board votes except—
‘‘(I) the selection of the chair of 
the Board; 
‘‘(II) the election of new mem-
bers; 
‘‘(III) the composition of Board 
committees; and 
‘‘(IV) any matter which presents 
such members with a conflict of inter-
est. 
‘‘(B) TIE VOTES.—A tie vote shall be bro-
ken as provided for in the bylaws of the cor-
poration, in accordance with the following: 
‘‘(i) MATTERS OF PURELY BUSINESS 
AND
GOVERNANCE.—On matters related 
purely to the business and governance of 
the corporation, a tie vote of the Board 
shall be broken by the majority of the 
votes cast by the independent directors de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(A)(i). 
‘‘(ii) MATTERS RELATED TO SPORT.—
On matters related to sport and all mat-
ters other than those described in clause 
(i), a tie vote of the Board shall be broken 
by a majority of the votes cast by the 
members described in clauses (ii) and (iii) 
of paragraph (1)(A), and the ex officio 
members described in paragraph (1)(B). 
‘‘(6) CHAIR.—The Board shall elect 1 of the 
members to serve as chair of the Board, who shall 
serve as chair for a term of 4 years. The chair may 
serve an additional 2 years (beyond the 4 year term 
established for the Board in paragraph (2)) in order 
to complete his or her 4 year term as chair. The 
first chair elected after the date of enactment of the 
United States Olympic Committee Reform Act shall 
be an independent member. 
‘‘(7) COMMITTEES.—In addition to any commit-
tees, subcommittees, and task forces as may be nec-
essary or appropriate and for which sufficient funds 
exist, the Board shall establish the following stand-
ing committees: 
‘‘(A) An Audit Committee, consisting of—
‘‘(i) 3 Board members described in 
paragraph (1)(A)(i); and 
‘‘(ii) 1 Board member described in 
paragraph (1)(A)(iii).
‘‘(B) An Ethics Committee, consisting of—
‘‘(i) 3 persons who meet the definition 
of 
‘independent 
director’ 
in 
section 
220501(b)(5) and who are not members of 
the Board; 
‘‘(ii) 1 person who meets the defini-
tion 
of 
‘amateur 
athlete’ 
in 
section 
220501(b)(1) and who is not a member of 
the Board; and 
‘‘(iii) 1 elected member of the Board 
described in paragraph (1)(A). 
‘‘(C) A Nominating and Governance Com-
mittee and a Compensation Committee, each 
consisting of—
‘‘(i) 3 Board members described in 
paragraph (1)(A)(i); 
‘‘(ii) 1 Board member described in 
paragraph (1)(A)(ii); and 
‘‘(iii) 1 Board member described in 
paragraph (1)(A)(iii). 
‘‘(8) 
REMUNERATION
AND
TRAVEL
EX-
PENSES.—The members of the Board shall not re-
ceive any compensation, fee, salary, or other remu-
neration for their service on the Board, but shall be 
reimbursed for actual and reasonable travel expenses
incurred for attending Board meetings or in further-
ance of duties that they have been requested to per-
form by the Chair. 
‘‘(9) DUTIES.—The Board shall have the fol-
lowing duties: 
‘‘(A) To oversee the corporation’s business 
and operations in the United States and 
abroad, including all matters relating to finan-
cial, commercial, legal, personnel, and govern-
ance. 
‘‘(B) To set the policy and direction of the 
corporation consistent with the corporation’s 
mission and purposes. 
‘‘(C) To establish a Nominating and Gov-
ernance Committee to provide for a process for 
nominating new Board members. 
‘‘(D) To elect new Board members from 
among those persons nominated by the Nomi-
nating and Governance Committee. 
‘‘(E) To select and evaluate the Chief Ex-
ecutive Officer. 
‘‘(F) To oversee the bid city process in the 
United States, and to monitor the organizing 
committee of the Olympic Games when the 
Games are held in the United States.
‘‘(c) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The corporation shall have 
a chief executive officer who shall not be a member 
of the Board of Directors. The chief executive officer 
shall be elected by, and report to, the Board, as pro-
vided in the bylaws of the corporation. The chief ex-
ecutive officer shall be responsible, with Board ap-
proval, for filling other key senior management posi-
tions as provided in the bylaws of the corporation. 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The chief executive officer shall, 
either directly or by delegation—
‘‘(A) manage all staff functions and the 
day-to-day affairs and business operations of 
the corporation, including relations with inter-
national organizations; and 
‘‘(B) implement the mission and policies of 
the corporation, as determined by the Board. 
‘‘(d) OLYMPIC ASSEMBLY.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The corporation shall have 
an Olympic Assembly (in this chapter referred to as 
the Assembly) in which all of the constituencies of 
the corporation shall be represented. The size and 
composition of the Assembly shall be determined by 
the Board and shall include—
‘‘(A) Olympic athletes and former Olympic 
athletes; 
‘‘(B) representatives of Olympic sports or-
ganizations; 
‘‘(C) representatives of Pan American 
sports organizations; 
‘‘(D) a representative of an affiliated 
sports organization; 
‘‘(E) representatives of community-based 
and education-based multisport organizations; 
‘‘(F) representatives of the United States 
Armed Forces; and 
‘‘(G) a representative of a State Olympic 
organization. 
‘‘(2) TERMS.—Each member of the Assembly 
shall serve for a term of 4 years, beginning with the 
first meeting following a Summer Olympic Games 
and extending until the first meeting following the 
subsequent Summer Olympic Games. There shall be 
no limit to the number of terms which a member 
may serve. 
‘‘(3) LIAISON.—Each Assembly shall elect a li-
aison from among its members who shall preside 
over the annual meetings of the Assembly, and who 
shall be limited to serving 1 term of 4 years.
‘‘(4) ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—
‘‘(A) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—The Assem-
bly shall—
‘‘(i) meet annually, at the time of a 
meeting of the Board of Directors, to rep-
resent the interests of its members; and 
‘‘(ii) receive and review reports from 
the Board concerning sport matters and 
the business of the corporation. 
‘‘(B) PERMITTED
ACTIVITIES.—The As-
sembly may—
‘‘(i) propose items for consideration 
by the chair to be included on the agenda 
for the Board; and 
‘‘(ii) perform other functions as the 
Board determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(5) EXPENSES.—The Board shall set the 
budget for the Assembly, which may pay the actual 
and reasonable expenses of members of the Assem-
bly to attend the annual meeting, and any special 
meetings called by the Board. 
‘‘(e) STANDARDS AND COMPLIANCE PROGRAM.—The 
corporation shall maintain a standards and compliance 
program that includes, at minimum, the following require-
ments:
‘‘(1) The development and distribution of writ-
ten standards of conduct, as well as written policies, 
procedures, and protocols that promote the United 
States Olympic Committee’s commitment to compli-
ance with such standards and address specific areas 
of potential infractions of compliance. 
‘‘(2) The designation of a compliance or ethics 
officer at the executive level who shall report to the 
Board and shall be charged with the responsibility 
for developing, operating, and monitoring the com-
pliance program. 
‘‘(3) The development and implementation of 
regular, effective education and training programs 
for all affected United States Olympic Committee 
employees, including paid senior management, offi-
cers, volunteers, and directors of a member organi-
zation. 
‘‘(4) The creation and maintenance of an effec-
tive line of communication between the compliance 
officer and all United States Olympic Committee 
employees and volunteers, including a process, such 
as a hotline or other reporting system, to receive 
complaints, and the adoption of procedures to pro-
tect the anonymity of complainants and to protect 
complainants from retaliation.
‘‘(5) The use of audits and other risk evaluation 
techniques to monitor compliance, identify problem 
areas, affecting the United States Olympic Com-
mittee, its officers, employees, and volunteers, and 
assist in the reduction of identified problems. 
‘‘(6) The development of policies and proce-
dures with respect to the investigation of identified 
systemic problems, which include direction regarding 
the prompt and proper response to detected offenses, 
such as the initiation of appropriate corrective action 
and preventive measures. 
‘‘(7) The development of a system to respond to 
allegations of illegal or improper activities and the 
enforcement 
of 
appropriate 
disciplinary 
action 
against United States Olympic Committee employees 
who have violated internal compliance policies, appli-
cable statutes, regulations, or other United states 
Olympic Committee requirements. 
‘‘(f)10-YEAR REVIEW.—Not later than January 1, 
2014, and every 10 years thereafter, the Board shall ap-
point an independent commission to study and determine 
whether the governance structure of the corporation con-
tinues to serve the purpose for which it was created. Such 
commission shall transmit to Congress a report which
shall include recommendations for changes to the govern-
ance structure of the corporation.’’. 
(b) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections for 
subchapter I of chapter 2205 of title 36, United States 
Code, is amended to read as follows:
‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—CORPORATION 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘220501. Title and definitions. 
‘‘220502. Organization. 
‘‘220503. Purposes. 
‘‘220504. Membership. 
‘‘220505. Governance. 
‘‘220506. Powers. 
‘‘220507. Exclusive right to name, seals, emblems, and badges. 
‘‘220508. Restrictions. 
‘‘220509. Headquarters, principle office, and meetings. 
‘‘220510. Resolution of disputes. 
‘‘220511. Services of process. 
‘‘220512. Annual report. 
‘‘220513. Complete teams.’’.
(c) POWERS RELATED TO AMATEUR ATHLETICS AND 
THE
OLYMPIC, 
PARALYMPIC, 
AND
PAN-AMERICAN 
GAMES.—Section 220506(c) of title 36, United States 
Code, (as amended by this Act) is amended—
(1) in the subsection heading by inserting ‘‘, 
PARALYMPIC, AND PAN-AMERICAN’’ after ‘‘OLYM-
PIC’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘or 
paralympic sports organization’’ after ‘‘governing 
body’’. 
(d) TRANSITION.—
(1) CONTINUANCE OF EXISTING BOARD DURING 
TRANSITION.—The individuals serving as members
of the Board of Directors of the United States 
Olympic Committee on the date of enactment of this 
Act shall continue to serve as the Board until a 
Board of Directors has been elected under para-
graph (2)(B) of this subsection. 
(2) INITIAL
NOMINATING
AND
GOVERNANCE 
COMMITTEE.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Until the initial Board 
of Directors has been elected and taken office, 
the Nominating and Governance Committee re-
quired by section 220505(b)(6)(C) of title 36, 
United States Code, (as amended by this Act) 
shall consist of—
(i) 1 individual selected by the Ath-
lete’s Advisory Council from among its 
members; 
(ii) 1 individual selected by the Na-
tional Governing Bodies’ Council from 
among its members; 
(iii) 1 individual selected by the pub-
lic-sector directors of the United States 
Olympic Committee from among such di-
rectors serving on the date of enactment of 
this Act;
(iv) 1 individual selected by the Gov-
ernance and Ethics Task Force established 
by the United States Olympic Committee 
in February, 2003, from among its mem-
bers; and 
(v) 1 individual selected by the Inde-
pendent Commission on Reform estab-
lished by the United States Olympic Com-
mittee in March, 2003, from among its 
members, who shall chair the committee. 
(B) ELECTION OF NEW BOARD OF DIREC-
TORS.—The Nominating and Governance Com-
mittee established by paragraph (2) shall—
(i) elect an initial Board of Directors 
who shall serve for the terms provided in 
section 220505(b)(2)(C) of title 36, United 
States Code (as amended by this Act); and 
(ii) elect 1 of the independent mem-
bers 
described 
in 
section 
220505(b)(1)(A)(i) of that title (as amend-
ed by this Act) to serve as chair until the 
terms of the members elected under clause 
(i) have expired. 
(C) ELIGIBILITY FOR NEW BOARD OF DI-
RECTORS.—Members of the initial Nominating
and Governance Committee shall not be eligible 
to serve on the initial Board of Directors that 
has been elected under subparagraph (B), but 
shall be eligible for election to subsequent 
Boards. 
SEC. 5. OMBUDSMAN. 
Section 220510(b) of title 36, United States Code, 
(as amended by this Act) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘corporation’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Board’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘cor-
poration’s 
executive 
director’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘Board’’; 
(3) by striking clause (ii) of paragraph (2)(A) 
and redesignating clause (iii) of such paragraph as 
clause (ii); 
(4) in clause (ii) of paragraph (2)(A) (as so re-
designated), by striking ‘‘corporation’s executive 
committee’’ and inserting ‘‘Board’’; 
(5) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘corpora-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘Board’’; 
(6) in paragraph (2)(B)(ii), by striking ‘‘cor-
poration’s executive committee by either the corpora-
tion’s executive director or’’ and inserting ‘‘Board’’; 
and
(7) in paragraph (2)(B)(iii), by striking ‘‘cor-
poration’s 
executive 
committee’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘Board’’. 
SEC. 6. REPORTING. 
(a) ANNUAL REPORT.—Section 220512 of title 36, 
United States Code, (as amended by this Act) is amend-
ed—
(1) by striking ‘‘every fourth’’ and inserting 
‘‘each’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘4 years’’ and inserting ‘‘year’’; 
and 
(3) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘such 4-year 
period’’ and inserting ‘‘the preceding year’’. 
(b) SPECIAL REPORT.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the corporation shall not be required to 
submit to Congress any additional report, other than a 
report required by section 220512 of title 36, United 
States Code, (as amended by this Act) until 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 7. CONFORMING AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. 
Chapter 2205 of title 36, United States Code, (as 
amended by this Act) is amended—
(1) in section 220501, by moving paragraph (7) 
2 ems to the right;
(2) in section 220504, by striking ‘‘constitution 
and’’ both places it appears; 
(3) in section 220506—
(A) in subsection (a)—
(i) in the subsection heading, by strik-
ing ‘‘CONSTITUTION AND’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘constitution and’’; 
and 
(iii) by striking ‘‘may amend its con-
stitution’’ and inserting ‘‘may amend its 
bylaws’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b)(9), by striking ‘‘this 
Act’’ and inserting ‘‘this chapter’’; 
(C) in subsection (c)(5), by striking ‘‘con-
stitution and’’; 
(4) in section 220507(d)—
(A) by moving paragraph (3) 2 ems to the 
left; and 
(B) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘sub-
sections’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection’’; 
(5) in section 220510—
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘con-
stitution and’’ each place it appears; 
(B) in subsection (b)(1)(A)—
(i) by striking ‘‘constitution and’’ both 
places it appears; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘a paralympic sports 
organizations’’ and inserting ‘‘paralympic 
sports organizations’’; 
(6) in section 220513, by striking ‘‘Corpora-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘corporation’’; 
(7) in section 220521, by striking ‘‘subsections 
(a) or (b)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a) or (b)’’; 
(8) in section 220522(a)(4)(B), by striking 
‘‘constitution and’’ and 
(9) in section 220529, by striking ‘‘constitution 
and’’ both places it appears.
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