The Council on May 6 approved emergency action to amend local rules related to college athlete name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation and temporarily suspended a recent Board of Ethics rulemaking that would have expanded public financial-disclosure requirements for about 47 boards and commissions.

Chair Phil Mendelson framed the legislation as two parts: first, an amendment to the District’s implementation of the Uniform College Athlete Name, Image, or Likeness Act of 2022 to allow institutions, conferences and associations to assist athletes in selecting or coordinating NIL agents and to lift a prohibition on institutions providing direct compensation for NIL use; second, a temporary suspension of a Board of Ethics and Government Accountability rule that added many volunteer boards to the public disclosure list.

Recusal and legal context: Councilmember Robert C. White publicly filed and read a recusal statement before the votes, saying he serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and therefore would recuse from the matter to avoid any appearance of conflict. Mendelson said the pending federal court litigation and a settlement process contain multiple elements, including a revenue-sharing framework, but that the Council’s action did not address roster limits in litigation and focused on local NIL administration.

Why it matters: Mendelson said the rule suspension would give committees time to consult their boards and commissions; he also noted some boards already have rigorous disclosure requirements (for example, the Retirement Board) and that applying duplicate disclosures to volunteers could dissuade participation.

Vote: The declaration and the bill were approved on the floor; Councilmember Robert C. White’s recusal was noted publicly prior to the vote.