Study on women's college sports funding

Summary#

HCR-33 is a West Virginia House concurrent resolution requesting a study; it does not create or amend an Act. It asks the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to study women’s collegiate sports, including financial sustainability, NIL impacts, and existing Title IX obligations. Its stated goal is to help protect the availability and opportunities of these programs.

  • The committee is asked to examine funding levels and how shifting athletic priorities affect non-revenue women’s sports at public universities.
  • It is asked to examine whether permanent endowments and public-private partnerships could help sustain programs.
  • It is asked to examine how NIL rules and possible “student-athlete employee” designations may affect program viability.
  • It is asked to examine ways institutions could find “verified cost savings” and redirect them to women’s athletics.
  • The resolution says the committee shall send a report to the Governor and legislative leaders by January 1, 2027, and report its findings and recommendations to the 2027 regular session, with draft legislation if needed.

What it means for you#

  • Students and athletes: The resolution does not itself preserve, fund, expand, or restore any sports program. It requests a study.
  • Colleges and universities: The resolution does not directly require institutions to change their budgets, staffing, programs, or NIL practices.
  • Taxpayers: The study’s expenses are to be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance. The resolution does not set a separate dollar amount.
  • General public: HCR-33 is introduced and is not law. Whether the study goes ahead depends on the resolution being adopted.

Money#

The resolution assigns study costs to legislative appropriations for the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, but gives no cost estimate.

  • It does not set aside a specific amount or create a sports endowment or other funding program.
  • No publicly available information about the expected cost of the study is included in the supplied material.

What is unclear#

  • The resolution’s title refers to existing Title IX obligations, but its list of study topics does not spell out a specific Title IX review.
  • It does not explain how the committee will gather information, whether universities or others must provide it, or whether athletes and other groups will be consulted.
  • It does not define “verified cost savings” or say how savings would be verified or redirected.
  • It does not clarify whether the study covers only public universities or women’s collegiate programs more broadly.
  • It sets a January 1 report deadline and also calls for a report to the 2027 regular session; the materials do not explain how those reporting requirements fit together.

Case for#

  • The resolution appears intended to examine financial pressures that may threaten women’s sports programs before recommending any policy changes.
  • Studying funding, endowments, NIL, possible athlete employee status, and cost savings could give lawmakers information across several possible sources of pressure and support.
  • Asking for recommendations and draft legislation could give the Legislature options to consider without changing programs or funding immediately.

Case against#

  • The resolution requests analysis but does not itself provide money or require universities to maintain any program; a study may not address immediate program losses.
  • The study’s scope and methods are not detailed, including how it would assess Title IX obligations or hear from affected athletes and institutions.
  • The resolution calls for examining savings that could be redirected, but does not say what counts as verified savings or how that redirection would work.