Political inaction endangers property tax rebates

The number of people benefitting from a state program that helps older Pennsylvanians pay their rent and property taxes has shrunk by more than 25% over the past decade.

According to an analysis by Spotlight PA reporter Charlotte Keith, that works out to 160,000 fewer households getting help. 

The main issue? State lawmakers haven’t updated the income limits for homeowners to qualify in more than 15 years. For renters, it’s been more than 35 years. As incomes have gradually increased over time, buoyed mostly by inflation, it has become harder to qualify for a rebate.

Also this week, Angela Couloumbis reports that Pace-O-Matic, a Georgia-based company that makes skill games, offered select Pennsylvania lawmakers an all-expenses-paid trip to a rodeo festival in Wyoming. Manufacturers are currently seeking legal recognition for their slot-like machines in the face of fierce opposition from the state's casinos. 

Finally, learn how to research who will be on your ballot this November, their stances, and who is funding their campaigns using our new basic vetting guide. 

"They weren’t paying for first-class airfare."

—State Rep. Sue Helm (R., Dauphin) on a trip she took to a Wyoming rodeo paid for by Pace-O-Matic, a company that makes unregulated skill games

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A unanimous 2021 Supreme Court decision opened the door to student-athletes earning money for their “name, image, and likeness” — often called NIL — while participating in college sports.

At their most basic level, NIL deals allow a brand or company to pay a student-athlete to be featured in an advertisement, appear at an event, or promote a product on social media, for example.

The NCAA and federal government have left it up to lawmakers in each state to craft NIL guidelines for athletic programs — or choose to impose no guardrails at all.

Spotlight PA talked to several experts to explain how NIL works at Penn State. 

What rules are in place in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania’s NIL law bars student-athletes from making money on pornography, alcohol, gambling, tobacco or electronic smoking devices, prescription drugs, or other controlled substances. 

Under the 2021 law, student-athletes must disclose an NIL contract to their university seven days before it takes effect.

Schools can block a student-athlete’s NIL agreement if it conflicts with an existing sponsorship between the university and a company, or if the deal clashes with the school’s “institutional values.”

The law bans universities from arranging compensation for athletes and from tying compensation to a student attending a specific school.

Who holds schools and athletes accountable to those rules?

Schools and states police themselves. 

Christina Diaz, assistant athletics director for development and enrichment at Penn State, said the university does not report students’ NIL deals to any outside group, such as the Big Ten Conference or the NCAA. Penn State has not disciplined any students for NIL violations, she said.

“Our student-athletes have been incredible in disclosing,” Diaz said.

Dan Lust, who teaches sports law at New York Law School and works as a sports and entertainment attorney at ​​Geragos & Geragos, told Spotlight PA there is little incentive for schools or states to punish students who break the rules.

If a university or state were to crack down on student-athletes, that school — or state — would no longer be a top destination for recruits or transfers, he said.

The NCAA has asked universities for help investigating potential violations, but has not announced any penalties.

Who are the ‘collectives’ supporting Penn State?

In the initial months after the Supreme Court decision, contracts between individual companies and athletes received a lot of attention. Now groups called “collectives” dominate the conversation. Collectives pool money — often from alumni and other supporters — to arrange contracts for athletes at specific schools.

Penn State promotes the collectives We Are and Success With Honor on its webpage. 

We Are describes itself as a “football first collective” that works “by providing fan incentives and business relationships for student-athletes.” The collective did not respond to requests for comment.

Success With Honor told Spotlight PA it has worked with over 70 student-athletes to facilitate more than 50 NIL deals across 18 sports at Penn State.

In the first five months after its March launch, the group raised nearly $2 million to support Penn State student-athletes, said Jason Belzer, CEO of Student Athlete NIL, the company that manages Success With Honor. —Wyatt Massey, Spotlight PA

SLOW COUNT: 

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