Haley Stevens: “today I bring to the Senate the United States Olympic Checkoff Act. This bill would provide significant--and needed--new…”

“today I bring to the Senate the United States Olympic Checkoff Act. This bill would provide significant--and needed--new funding for our Nation's amateur athletic movement. This will present a way for Americans to show support for the United States Olympic Committee, the USOC, and for our amateur athletes. Simply by checking a box on their tax returns, American taxpayers could designate a dollar from their refunds to go to the USOC, or they could enclose a contribution to the USOC when they mail their tax forms. This concept is similar to the existing Presidential checkoff. It is different though, in that this deduction for the Olympic Committee would come from the taxpayers' own money, their refunds or their contributions, and not from the money destined for the Federal Treasury. The Amateur Sports Act of 1978 made the USOC the central coordinating body for amateur sports in the United States. The responsibilities of the act, that is the responsibilities given by the act to the USOC, include training and selecting athletes to represent the United States at international competitions and, equally important, encouraging athletic activities for all amateur athletes in the United States through grassroots sports opportunities. What the Amateur Sports Act does not do is authorize Federal funding of the USOC. In almost every other nation in the world, Olympic and amateur sports receive substantial government funding. That is not true in our country.…”