Why It Matters

The University of Tennessee System filed its third-quarter 2026 in-house lobbying disclosure covering nine issue areas, including college athletics legislation, fiscal year 2027 appropriations, defense research authorizations, and proposed federal changes to the rules governing grants and cooperative agreements at universities. The University of Tennessee System added a Government Issues (GOV) code covering the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) proposed Uniform Guidance changes in its 2026 third-quarter filing, after the code was absent from its second-quarter in-house filing. The filing spans how federal legislation and agency action will shape research funding, athletic compensation, and administrative compliance at a major public university system. ​

By the Numbers

The third-quarter 2026 filing reports $170,000 in in-house lobbying expenditures for July 1 through September 30, 2026. That is down $30,000 from $200,000 in the second quarter of 2026. Compared with the third quarter of 2025, when the in-house filing reported $130,000, the current quarter is up $40,000.

In the second quarter of 2026, the system engaged two outside firms: theGROUP DC LLC at $50,000 and Strategic Marketing Innovations Inc. at $40,000, bringing the combined client total to $290,000. No filings from either outside firm appear in the third-quarter data, leaving the system's total at $170,000, down $120,000 from the prior quarter.

The three in-house lobbyists are unchanged:

  • Carey Whitworth, senior vice president, government relations, economic development and public service
  • David Visi, director, federal relations
  • Mackensie McKernan, assistant vice president, federal relations; the only one of the three with listed committee experience, having served on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee staff during the 113th Congress

Broader Context

College athletics

The filing names H.R. 4312, the SCORE Act, and S. 4668, the Protect College Sports Act. The SCORE Act, sponsored by Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL-12), would create a framework for student athletes to earn name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation, bar institutions from restricting NIL agreements, prohibit classifying athletes as employees, and preempt state laws; a Rules Committee resolution reported to the House on Dec. 1, 2025, provides for floor consideration under a closed rule. The Senate Commerce Committee reported S. 4668, sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), on June 24.

Reps. Tim Walberg, Brett Guthrie, and Jim Jordan said the SCORE Act would provide national stability for college sports; Reps. Janelle Bynum and Shomari Figures said it could help athletes earn compensation and access protections. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and its Sports Council opposed the bill, arguing its antitrust exemption could allow the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and member institutions to collude against athletes and that its ban on employee status would deny athletes the right to organize.

OMB Uniform Guidance and accreditation

A Congressional Research Service report from June 25 described OMB's May 2026 proposed Uniform Guidance rule as creating a structure under which future OMB regulatory updates would automatically apply to agencies. The Education Department proposed changes to accreditor-recognition regulations on Aug. 20, including removing requirements not specified by statute.

Tennessee delegation

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) praised the Senate-passed 2026 Agriculture-FDA appropriations bill in an Aug. 2, 2025, press release, citing University of Tennessee System research projects. On Dec. 8, 2025, Blackburn and Sen. Maria Cantwell introduced the HUSTLE Act, which would create tax-advantaged accounts for athletes' NIL earnings and require financial education.

Competitive Landscape

More than 40 organizations are on record as lobbying for H.R. 4312, including Baylor University, the Big Ten Conference, Inc., the Southeastern Conference, the University of Alabama System, the University of California System, the AFL-CIO, the National Football League Players Association, and the Service Employees International Union.

The Bottom Line

The system's in-house spend rose from $120,000 in the first quarter of 2025 to $200,000 in the second quarter of 2026, then fell to $170,000 this quarter. The Rules Committee reported H. Res. 916 in December 2025, providing for House floor consideration of H.R. 4312 under a closed rule, and the Senate Commerce Committee reported S. 4668 in June 2026.

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