The chairman of the Alabama Senate Education Committee said if a vote was taken today, then the Tim Tebow Act would receive a favorable report.

"This thing is gaining momentum," committee chairman Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Montgomery, said, of the legislation that would allow homeschooled students to participate in sports at the public school in their district.

After being proposed for a number of years, this is the first year where it looks like the Tim Tebow Act may actually pass with or without the approval of the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

The House of Representatives has already passed it. The Senate Education Committee will vote whether to move the bill on to be considered by the full membership of the Senate next week.

Brewbaker expects the bill to be changed slightly including some of the testing requirements for eligibility and perhaps letting homeschool students participate in other public school activities like band.

Brewbaker told AHSSA it's time for them to join the conversation.

"I do think it is time for a proposal to come from your end," he said to AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese, who spoke out against the bill today.

Savarese said member high schools establish the rules for their sports programs, and AHSAA governs the rules.

"One of our primary concerns with this bill is the wording in the bill that clearly states no public school can be a member of any high school athletic association that does not allow home school students to participate," he said.

Former NFL player Tim Tebow speaks during a an SEC television broadcast, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, in Atlanta, ahead of the Southeastern Conference championship football game between Alabama and Missouri held Saturday. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

"I hope the legislature has a plan to who will govern athletics in the state of Alabama because currently our bylaws prohibit homeschool participation," Savarese, added later that the AHSAA board could vote to not allow homeschool students to participate, then public schools would no longer be members of the AHSAA.

Savarese said AHSAA is a private group formed by court order that governs high school athletic programs. The association is against legislation that allows another group to come and change their rules.

He said classification (1A-7A) is one of AHSAA's biggest issues and students not enrolled in the public school won't count towards the classification.

Sen. Paul Bussman, R- Cullman, a committee member, also told AHSSA to come aboard and take a part in the process.

"What we are asking you to do is come up with a way to do it," he said of allowing homeschool students to play sports. "I don't care what way you do it, but if you don't do it then the Legislature is going to come in and do it for you."

The bill is named after the Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow from the University of Florida who was homeschooled and played at Nease High School, near Jacksonville, Fla.