A bipartisan Senate bill aims to create uniform name, image and likeness rules, guarantee student-athlete pay rights, and protect the conference and budget structures that underpin college athletics.
Senators, led by Ted Cruz with Democrat Maria Cantwell, advanced a bipartisan “Protect College Sports Act” to create national NIL standards and avoid state-by-state confusion.
The bill would guarantee student-athletes’ right to earn money while imposing uniform rules on scholarships, medical coverage, transfer protocols, and revenue pooling.
Major conferences that once opposed the legislation, including the Big Ten and SEC, shifted to support it after revisions to protect media deals and conference structures.
Congress has stepped into college athletics because states and schools have produced conflicting rules on athlete compensation since the rise of NIL. Senate sponsors call the move an effort to replace a patchwork of state laws and court decisions with one national framework. The bill, called the Protect College Sports Act, is pitched as a way to create consistent eligibility and compensation standards for student-athletes.
The legislation would formalize national standards for name, image and likeness deals by guaranteeing student-athletes the right to earn money. It also aims to set uniform rules on scholarships, medical coverage, transfer protocols and requirements that schools continue funding less-popular sports. The bill includes guidelines for revenue pooling intended to help athletic budgets without mandating use of academic funds or new student fees.
Athletic conferences, universities, pro leagues and states have all been engaged in negotiations and legal analysis because the outcome affects media contracts, recruiting, and competitive balance. The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference initially opposed an earlier version of the bill, saying it could weaken conference media deals. After revisions negotiated by Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell, both conferences moved to support the revised measure.
Practical implications for schools and athletes
If enacted, the law would replace the varied approaches states have taken, creating a single set of rules that universities must follow. That would affect how schools administer scholarships, handle transfers, and provide medical coverage tied to athletics. It would also impose conditions meant to preserve less-popular sports by requiring continued funding and set rules for how revenue is pooled across programs.
Stakeholder positions and next steps
Act is a bipartisan attempt to create uniform NIL rules and broader governance standards for collegiate athletics. It intends to guarantee athletes' earning rights while setting consistent rules meant to protect athletic budgets, conference agreements, and less-visible sports. The bill advanced in summer 2026 but awaits Senate floor action after the recess, with supporters targeting a vote in September tied to the start of college football.
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