Do You Know? The Protect College Sports Act passed the U.S. Senate by a 77-22 vote, giving the legislation its first major step toward becoming federal law.
The Senate approved the bill Monday night, according to ESPN, after considering seven amendments. The legislation now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives, where it faces opposition from lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum.
What the bill would do
The bill would provide the NCAA with an antitrust exemption intended to help it enforce a cap on how much teams can pay their athletes, along with other rules that have faced legal challenges in recent years.
If enacted, the legislation would limit athletes to one penalty-free transfer during their college careers. It would also reinforce NCAA rules establishing a five-year window to compete in college, beginning when an athlete finishes high school or turns 19.
The bill proposes increasing the amount schools can spend directly on players from roughly $21.5 million this year to approximately $49 million, with $5 million reserved for nonrevenue and Olympic sports.
Conference realignment also addressed
Another section seeks to place limits on conference realignment. Membership in Power 4 conferences would be capped at 20 schools. A school moving from one Power 4 conference to another would have to spend three years without conference affiliation before joining a new league, although that waiting period is set to disappear at the end of 2031.
The Senate-approved amendments also increased the maximum number of teams in a Power conference from 19 to 20 and added a disclosure requirement for athletic departments that accept investments from foreign governments or sovereign wealth funds.
Amendments and opposition
Senators voted 52-47 against an amendment that would have capped coaching pay from schools at $5 million per year and restricted how often coaches could change jobs.
“This bill sells out college athletes,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said, according to ESPN.
Booker also argued that the legislation does not cap several spending categories that have contributed to financial competition in college sports. He raised concerns that provisions designed to protect women’s sports programs would expire after nine years, while the NCAA’s antitrust exemption would not.
An amendment to increase a major-injury medical care fund for former athletes from $100 million to $200 million fell one vote short of being added to the bill.
What happens next
The House is not scheduled to vote on bills until after November’s midterm elections. ESPN reported that if the legislation does not pass during the lame-duck session before a new Congress takes office in January, the process would have to begin again.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the goal was to secure a broad bipartisan vote. NCAA president Charlie Baker also credited student-athletes from all three NCAA divisions with helping move the legislation forward.
The bill remains subject to House action and has not become law. Its provisions could affect athlete transfers, school payments, NCAA enforcement, conference membership and funding for nonrevenue and Olympic sports if ultimately enacted.
Bottom Line
The Senate’s 77-22 vote advances the Protect College Sports Act, but the legislation still faces a difficult path in the House before any proposed changes to college sports rules take effect.
Source
This report is based on information published by ESPN.
