A bill that sought to force fundamental changes upon the Florida High School Athletic Association went out with a whimper after failing to be called to the Senate floor by May 3.
The proposed legislation, which would have dramatically changed rules regarding student-athletes’ eligibility, needed Senate approval by the end of the 2013 legislative session this past Friday. Instead, after a companion bill was passed by the state House with an 89-26 vote on April 24, the Senate’s version of the bill languished in the Senate Rules Committee for the final days of the legislative session.
Had the bill been passed, it would have allowed students who transfer during the school year to retain their athletic eligibility in their new school so long as the transfer occurred before the start of practice for their particular sport. That provision sparked fears among some athletic directors and FHSAA officials, who believed such a system could have been exploited to allow schools to recruit certain top student-athletes based on sports.
“It is gratifying that Florida’s 260,000 high school student-athletes will be spared some of the negative consequences of this legislation,” FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing said in a statement after the bill failed, according to the .