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PIAA Oversight Shows Results
HARRISBURG -- Two
Republican senators, who were leaders in an intensive investigation into the
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), acknowledge that the
organization has made some substantial improvements in its operations.
“The report voted today certifies that the PIAA has
taken needed steps to comply with the legislative recommendations for reform and
improvement. While the organization will never be problem-free or
controversy-free, it is more open, more accountable, and less prone to troubling
conflicts than was the case several years ago,” according to Senator Robert C.
Jubelirer ( R-30).
“Bringing accountability to the PIAA has been a long
and difficult process, but I believe that process has made the association
fairer to student-athletes and more accountable to the people who pay its
bills,” said Senator James J. Rhoades (R-29).
“This result demonstrates the public purpose for our
legislative intervention. The changes in place will yield a better system for
student-athletes and for schools,” Jubelirer said.”
“Senator Bob Robbins and all of the members of the
Oversight Council did an excellent job of holding the PIAA accountable for the
reforms the General Assembly required the association to complete,” Rhoades
added. “I compliment the council members on their fine work.”
“When you look at the improved financial structure,
the elimination of the punitive restitution rule, the expansion of the board,
the institution of in-house counsel, these are changes that are important for
accountability and for public confidence, and we hope that they are a permanent
part of the landscape. The PIAA will stay in business, and we will watch to
ensure that improvement is a continuing process,” Jubelirer added.
Rhoades served as chairman of the Senate Special
Committee on Interscholastic Athletics and authored Act 91 of 2000, which
created the Oversight Council. Jubelirer was one of the instigators of a series
of public hearings the Special Committee held during 1998 that formed the basis
of the Act 91 reforms.
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