Protect College Sports Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 9137
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Sports and Recreation
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-04: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-17T20:52:35Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose The Protect College Sports Act of 2026 establishes a federal framework to protect student athletes' name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights, impose various academic, medical, and safety protections, regulate agent conduct and transfers, provide antitrust exemptions for certain intercollegiate rules, and amend the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 to authorize a joint media rights entity for major college sports under specific conditions.
Key Provisions
- NIL Protections (Title I): Prohibits institutions, conferences, and associations from restricting student athletes' ability to earn NIL compensation or enter agreements, with limited exceptions for code-of-conduct violations or unauthorized use of institutional marks. Requires disclosures for agreements exceeding $600. Mandates an anonymized NIL database and agent registry.
- Agent and Contract Rules: Amends the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act to require state registration, cap agent fees at 5%, limit contract terms to eligibility periods, and create a private right of action for violations.
- Academic and Scholarship Protections: Bars athletic staff from pressuring course or major selection; prohibits revoking grants-in-aid based on performance, injury, or roster decisions (with exceptions for conduct or transfers). Provides post-eligibility degree completion support.
- Medical and Safety Standards: Requires Division I institutions to cover out-of-pocket medical costs during and for five years after eligibility, plus catastrophic insurance. Mandates adherence to specific concussion, heat illness, and other health guidelines; establishes an independent athletic health and safety officer and a Student Athlete Ombudsman office.
- Governance and Competition Rules: Requires at least one-third student athlete representation on association boards; limits mid-season football coaching moves; allows one free transfer plus additional transfers for coach departure, sport discontinuation, or harassment; caps eligibility at five years with exceptions. Prohibits compensation exceeding the revenue share cap unless for valid business purposes.
- Antitrust Exemptions: Shields associations, conferences, and institutions from antitrust liability for enforcing NIL caps, transfer rules, eligibility standards, recruitment restrictions, and certain sanctions.
- Broadcasting (Title II): Amends the Sports Broadcasting Act to exempt a voluntary "covered entity" (requiring 75% of Football Bowl Subdivision institutions) from antitrust laws if it meets membership, voting (including student athlete input), revenue allocation (minimums, equal shares, performance-based), women's sports preservation, media rights pooling, and rivalry preservation rules. Adds local broadcast access requirements, merger restrictions, and utilization rules for non-football/basketball rights.
- Other: Creates a Congressional Commission on the Future of College Athletics; provides whistleblower protections and a private right of action for specified violations; preempts conflicting state laws on NIL, transfers, and eligibility while preserving certain state laws (e.g., tort, criminal, consumer protection).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces comprehensive federal NIL regulation and preempts inconsistent state laws, replacing the patchwork of state NIL statutes.
- Amends the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act with new registration, fee, and contract requirements plus a private right of action.
- Grants targeted antitrust exemptions for college sports governance rules not previously codified.
- Modifies the Sports Broadcasting Act to create a conditional exemption for pooled college media rights sales, including revenue-sharing mandates and local access rules.
- Establishes new federal oversight mechanisms (ombudsman, commission) and mandatory standards for medical coverage and safety.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Minimal direct operational impact; the Federal Communications Commission gains limited enforcement over local broadcast negotiations.
- Citizens and Institutions: Increases compliance costs for colleges and conferences; expands rights and remedies for student athletes while limiting some institutional flexibility on compensation and transfers.
- International Relations: No direct provisions or impacts identified.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Student athletes and prospective student athletes.
- Institutions of higher education and their athletic departments.
- Intercollegiate athletic associations (e.g., NCAA) and conferences.
- Athlete agents and collectives.
- Media rights holders, broadcasters, and distributors.
- Student athlete families and alumni.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Provides antitrust safe harbors for practices that could otherwise face scrutiny under the Sherman Act.
- Includes preemption of state NIL and eligibility laws, raising federalism considerations.
- Maintains neutrality on whether student athletes are employees, avoiding direct resolution of labor law questions.
- Creates private rights of action and whistleblower protections, expanding litigation avenues.
- Conditions broadcasting exemptions on revenue allocation and governance changes that could affect competitive balance among conferences.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5]
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-04: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-06-04: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-06-04: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-06-04: Introduced in House
- 2026-06-04: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Protect College Sports Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-04 — PDF (111 pages)