United States Olympic Committee Reform Act

UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEE REFORM ACT

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I thank Senator MCCAIN for his patience and understanding in this matter and ask to be an original cosponsor of this legislation.

The USOC was crying out for reform. There was the mismanagement of funds, poor judgments, and frequent turnover of management. I would like to recognize the USOC's internal efforts for reform. Reform has been long overdue.

My opposition to this legislation was to protect not only my constituents, but the USOC employees and athletes training in Colorado Springs, CO, as well. Again and again, I have heard rumblings about moving the headquarters of the USOC to another city, possibly New York City. This would be a terrible mistake and I cannot and will not allow this to happen.

The moving expenses would far outweigh the benefits of moving the headquarters and I do not want another dime wasted on the governance and management of the USOC. I cannot, and I do not think that we can make it clear enough: the money raised is first and foremost for the benefit and training of athletes, not for extra cushions on the chairs of those sitting in offices with pretty views of skylines.

The costs to the State of Colorado must be recognized too. The presence of the USOC in Colorado Springs generates over $300 million per year in revenue. My State cannot afford taking a hit like that now. To be exact, the USOC generates $315.9 million a year for the Pikes Peak Region; employs over 500 fund-raising staff; is home to 250 Olympic hopefuls, resident athletes in various sports; provides about 4,800 jobs in the Colorado Springs area, directly and indirectly; and serves about 38,000 tourists each year.

I would like to point out Colorado's own commitment to the United States Olympic Committee. The Colorado State legislature passed law allowing out-of-State doctors to practice medicine at the center without having to pass a Colorado test for a medical license; passed a law allowing out-of-State athletes at the training center to pay instate college tuition so they could continue their education while training; and created a check-off box on State income tax returns allowing taxpayers to donate $1, which initially raised about $200,000 a year.

The argument that moving to a major metropolitan area to have better access to marketing and mass media is completely invalid. NBC agreed to pay $2.2 billion for U.S. television rights to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. That deal includes a sponsorship by NBC parent company, General Electric, which is based in Connecticut. San Francisco-based VISA continues to support the Olympic movement as does Bank of America, based in Charlotte, NC. Obviously, the USOC is not having any problem securing media coverage or sponsorships.

Lastly, I would like to point out Section 834 of Public Law 99-167, passed during the 1st Session of the 99th Congress, in 1985. The current home of the USOC used to be part of Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. Section 834 conveyed land that the USOC had been leasing from the U.S. Air Force to the USOC under the conditions that the property be used by the USOC solely for USOC activities and if it is not used for that purpose, the property shall be repossessed by the Government. This did not imply that the USOC could use it for a while or use it only in part. If the USOC is not going to use it, then the property should be given back to us.