Senate passes college sports bill setting national rules for athlete pay and transfers

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 77–22 on Monday to pass the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill that would write national rules for how college athletes are paid and how they move between schools.

What the bill does

The measure gives the NCAA authority to set and enforce standard rules across schools. It regulates name, image and likeness payments and sets a cap on what schools can pay athletes, reported at around $50 million per school. It would allow each athlete one transfer without penalty, create a five-year window to play four seasons, and shorten from five years to three the period a program must be independent before joining a conference.

A harder road in the House

House Republican leaders failed earlier to pass their own version, the SCORE Act, after opposition from the Congressional Black Caucus and some GOP members. Disputes over rules for foreign athletes could also split the coalition that passed the Senate bill. Lawmakers do not plan to cut short their six-week recess before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, so final action is unlikely before then.