Bill changing NC high school sports oversight OK'd by panel

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legislation that would end the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's century-long role overseeing interscholastic sports cleared a Senate committee Wednesday, despite calls by some to keep the nonprofit in charge, with adjustments.

The Republican-authored bill would create a new North Carolina Interscholastic Athletic Commission that in fall 2022 would enforce student eligibility rules set by the State Board of Education and adopt and enforce game rules and officiating and sportsmanship standards. Private schools also could no longer compete for titles with public schools, which the commission would solely govern.

The bill is the product of lawmakers who say the independent association, which began in 1913, is not using its power to primarily benefit student-athletes and its member schools. They also point to the association having amassed $40 million in assets, even as some schools struggle to raise money for uniforms and equipment.

“This bill is solely about accountability and transparency,” Sen. Todd Johnson, a Union County Republican, told the Senate education panel. “It's what we demand in every single aspect of state government."

The new commission, composed of nine gubernatorial appointees and eight chosen by legislative leaders, will be independent but sit in a state government department. Separate panels also would be created by the education board to hear eligibility appeals and by the commission to hear game appeals. Johnson said the current appeals process lacks independence from association leaders making initial decisions.

The bill was unveiled publicly Tuesday, and NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker told reporters later that the proposed commission would inject politics into high school athletics and attack self-governance...