Gardner sits on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which oversees the federally chartered Olympic Committee. USOC’s power over America’s Olympic sports stems from the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act, a 40-year-old piece of legislation that granted it exclusive rights to oversee the 48 national governing bodies that control individual sports.

Under Gardner’s bill, the blue-ribbon panel would determine whether athletes have enough say in the organization, whether USOC spends its money appropriately and if it has done enough to combat sexual assault.

Gardner said by assembling a panel of experts nominated by Democrats and Republicans, the blue-ribbon committee would be able to overcome congressional battles that have led to gridlock, including the nation’s longest partial government shutdown.

“This is a way to take the politics out of looking into USOC,” Gardner said.

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Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky issued a brief statement on Gardner’s proposal Tuesday.

“We appreciate all the efforts of Congress over recent years and will continue to work constructively with both the House and the Senate,” Sandusky said.

Congressional committees last year held a series of hearings that focused on the Larry Nassar case that rocked gymnastics. The team doctor was sentenced to up to 175 years behind bars for sexually assaulting scores of athletes.

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Last month, the Olympic Committee revealed its internal investigation into the Nassar case, finding that former CEO Scott Blackmun knew about the sexual assaults for more than a year before taking action.

“Inaction and concealment had consequences: dozens of girls and young women were abused during the yearlong period between the summer of 2015 and September 2016,” the report found.

A subsequent congressional report slammed USOC leaders for worrying more about the Olympic Committee’s reputation, finances and athletic performance than athlete safety.

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Gardner’s commission would take a broader look at the Olympic Committee than the earlier probes, which focused primarily on the Nassar case.

“The Commission would need to study matters including reforms to the structure of the U.S. Olympic Committee, whether the USOC board includes diverse members, licensing and funding arrangements, oversight of sports’ national governing bodies, and the recruitment of the Olympics and Paralympics to the United States, among other items,” a summary of Gardner’s bill says.

Gardner says he’s talked over the plan with fellow senators and gained initial approval from South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune, the chamber’s powerful majority whip.

One other ally Gardner will need is Colorado U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, who is heading a House oversight panel probing USOC’s problems.

The Democratic congresswoman told the Gazette last month that the USOC needs to change its culture, but said she doubted whether the Olympic Committee would take meaningful steps to make those changes.

DeGette didn’t immediately return calls for comment on Gardner’s proposal.