The Senate voted 77-22 Monday to approve a national framework for college athlete compensation, sending the bipartisan measure to a House where opposition and a crowded calendar leave its prospects uncertain.
The Protect College Sports Act would establish a federally protected right for athletes to earn money from their name, image and likeness, replacing a patchwork of state laws. Introduced in June by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the bill would also give the NCAA and athletic conferences a limited antitrust exemption to enforce certain rules.
President Donald Trump praised the vote on Truth Social, calling the legislation “a really big deal” and saying it “will not only save college sports, it will save the colleges themselves.” But the House is in recess ahead of the November midterms and is not expected to consider the measure until after the election at the earliest.
A House source familiar with the matter told CNBC that a vote before the election is “highly unlikely.” Cruz told reporters Monday that he had spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and was confident Johnson would call members back. If the bill does not reach Trump’s desk by Jan. 3, 2027, Congress would have to begin again, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The legislation would cap agent fees at 5%, allow athletes one transfer without losing eligibility and set a five-year eligibility limit, according to Cantwell’s office. Division I schools would have to cover medical costs for athletic injuries during an athlete’s college career and for five years after eligibility ends. Conferences would also be permitted to negotiate television rights collectively.
Cantwell emphasized the bill’s revenue-sharing provisions in remarks on the Senate floor before the vote. “Compensation on revenue sharing is probably the most important thing we could possibly enshrine in federal law today. This is [Congress] saying, for the first time, that an athlete gets a percentage of the media rights, the ticket sales and the sponsorship.”
Opponents argue that the legislation gives the NCAA and conferences too much control without sufficient protections for athletes. The Congressional Black Caucus, which has more than 50 members across the two chambers, opposes the measure, as do the NAACP and AFL-CIO.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., described the bill at a virtual press conference earlier this month as a way to preserve an unfair system. “What this bill does at its core is to protect a system of exploitation.” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., a former Stanford football player, also voted against it, saying it favors “the large, wealthy interests that have been controlling college sports for a long time,” CNN reported.
Supporters include the NCAA, all 32 major collegiate athletic conferences, more than 380 colleges and universities, the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement that securing federal protections for student-athlete benefits before the congressional session ends would require considerable additional work.
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