States findings of the Legislature and urges the United States House of Representatives and Senate to take immediate federal action to restore clarity, consistency, and stability to intercollegiate athletics.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE SENATE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 114 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE A JOINT MEMORIAL1 TO THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CON-2 GRESS ASSEMBLED AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE3 STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.4 We, your Memorialists, the Senate and the House of Representatives5 of the State of Idaho assembled in the Second Regular Session of the6 Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:7 WHEREAS, President Donald J. Trump issued the Saving College Sports8 Executive Order on July 24, 2025, stating that "college sports are a uniquely9 American institution that provide life-changing educational and leader-10 ship-development opportunities." Further, "college athletics also provide11 substantial support to local economies and form an indelible part of family12 activities, pastimes, and culture in many communities"; and13 WHEREAS, the executive order states that the future of collegiate14 sports is "under unprecedented threat", as "waves of recent litigation15 against collegiate athletics governing rules have eliminated limits on16 athlete compensation, pay-for-play recruiting inducements, and transfers17 between universities, unleashing a sea change that threatens the viability18 of college sports. While changes providing some increased benefits and19 flexibility to student-athletes were overdue and should be maintained, the20 inability to maintain reasonable rules and guardrails is a mortal threat to21 most college sports"; and22 WHEREAS, the Boise State Broncos have contributed to Idaho's economic23 vitality with an annual cumulative economic impact of $350 million, includ-24 ing significant visitor spending and job creation across the statewide econ-25 omy; and26 WHEREAS, Boise State University athletics has established a sustained27 record of competitive excellence at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdi-28 vision (FBS) level since 1996, with an overall winning percentage among the29 top five football programs nationally, reflecting national prominence and30 excellence; and31 WHEREAS, Boise State's football program currently holds the longest ac-32 tive streak of consecutive winning seasons in the FBS, demonstrating consis-33 tent high performance and program stability and creating deserved national34 recognition for the state of Idaho; and35 WHEREAS, Boise State University athletics has demonstrated sustained36 competitive excellence in women's sports and in Olympic sports, including37 winning 63 women's team conference championships and producing multiple38 Olympians, providing meaningful athletic and educational opportunities,39 advancing leadership development, and reinforcing the values of discipline,40 teamwork, and achievement for student-athletes in Idaho; and41 WHEREAS, Boise State's student-athletes have demonstrated academic42 success, recently achieving a record cumulative grade point average and the43

2 highest graduation success rate in department history, illustrating the1 broad educational benefits of collegiate athletics; and2 WHEREAS, for every $1.00 invested in Boise State University athletics,3 the State of Idaho receives an estimated $2.00 in return through added eco-4 nomic activity, tax revenues, and public sector savings, underscoring the5 department's high return on public and private investment; and6 WHEREAS, Boise State University athletics home competitions drew more7 than 485,000 attendees during fiscal year 2025, leading attendance among8 its conference peers and enhancing tourism, hospitality, and small business9 revenues throughout Idaho; and10 WHEREAS, Boise State University athletics consistently generates na-11 tional media exposure, including hundreds of millions of social media im-12 pressions and millions of viewers on television, which raises Idaho's pro-13 file and enhances the state's brand; and14 WHEREAS, the success and visibility of Boise State University athlet-15 ics, especially its iconic football program with its unique blue turf and na-16 tional reputation, serve as an important cultural and community symbol, com-17 monly described as the "front porch of Idaho," uniting residents, students,18 and alumni across the state; and19 WHEREAS, Power Two and Power Four conference institutions are making20 significant decisions without Boise State University and its peers having21 equal input on outcomes. Those decisions have a tremendous impact on Boise22 State University and others regardless of whether they are in the best inter-23 ests of the institution; and24 WHEREAS, in the evolving collegiate athletics landscape shaped by name,25 image, and likeness (NIL), revenue sharing, and shifting conference dynam-26 ics, there is a compelling need for federal policy and funding frameworks to27 ensure fair competition, sustainable athletic programs, and continued eco-28 nomic and community benefits for states like Idaho; and29 WHEREAS, the President's Saving College Sports Executive Order cor-30 rectly states that "a national solution is urgently needed to prevent this31 situation from deteriorating beyond repair and to protect non-revenue32 sports, including many women's sports, that comprise the backbone of in-33 tercollegiate athletics, drive American superiority at the Olympics and34 other international competitions, and catalyze hundreds of thousands of35 student-athletes to fuel American success in myriad ways."36 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-37 sion of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of Rep-38 resentatives concurring therein, that the Legislature calls on the Senate39 and House of Representatives of the United States to take immediate federal40 action to restore clarity, consistency, and stability to the governance of41 intercollegiate athletics, recognizing that inaction maintains the status42 quo for regulatory uncertainty, competitive imbalance, and financial risk43 for public universities and the states they serve.44 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congress is specifically urged to enact tar-45 geted, limited legislation that: (i) Establishes a single, uniform national46 framework for NIL and revenue sharing that preempts conflicting state laws47 and allows universities to operate under clear, predictable rules rather48 than through an ever-expanding patchwork of mandates and litigation; (ii)49 Defines student-athlete employment status and eligibility; (iii) Preserves50

3 women's sports and Olympic sports by ensuring that federal action does not1 unintentionally force universities to eliminate programs, reduce oppor-2 tunities, or divert resources from educational priorities; (iv) Restores3 certainty and predictability for universities, student-athletes, and lo-4 cal economies; (v) Provides a pathway for FBS institutions to build their5 athletic brands and expand economic activity in their communities; and (vi)6 Provides a level playing field for institutions to compete at the highest7 level, driven not by conference affiliation, but by objective metrics such8 as competitive success, brand awareness, and financial support for athletic9 programs.10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Idaho Legislature calls on Congress11 to act without delay because the absence of federal action will result in12 program reductions, escalating costs, and competitive disparities that13 threaten the future of collegiate athletics, and now is the critical moment14 for Congress to preserve athletic opportunity, protect taxpayers' invest-15 ments, and sustain the economic and civic benefits of college sports for16 future generations.17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate be, and she is18 hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Memorial to the19 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of20 Congress and to the congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho21 in the Congress of the United States.22