The US Senate has taken a major step toward considering legislation that would establish a long list of new federal rules for college sports, including athlete compensation, NIL rights, healthcare and protections for women’s and Olympic sports.
Senators voted 74-24 on September 15 to invoke cloture on the motion (a formal procedure used to bring a long debate to a quick end through an immediate vote), proceeding to the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, formally listed as S. 4668.
The vote now enables the legislation to move forward in the Senate, but without representing final passage. Additional Senate votes are required before the bill can move to the House of Representatives.
The bipartisan legislation was introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat.
Cantwell said before the vote that the proposal would give college athletes a federal right to earn money from their name, image, and likeness while creating a framework for the future of college athletics.
“This bill brings order to [college sports],” Cantwell said on the Senate floor. She also said the proposal recognizes that athletes should receive revenue sharing and creates a commission to examine the future of the system, including the possibility of collective bargaining.
Changes Brought by the Bill
Student athletes would receive a federal Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) right, which would replace the current patchwork of state laws with a national framework, while establishing the rules that would govern NIL contracts and agents. This would include a proposed 5% cap on agent fees.
The bill would additionally create protections surrounding scholarships and academics. Provisions would include a guarantee allowing athletes to retain scholarships for up to 10 years after their eligibility ends so they can complete their degrees.
The proposal also focuses on health and safety provisions. Namely, Division I schools would have to cover certain out-of-pocket medical expenses tied to athletic injuries or illness for enrolled athletes.
More post-eligibility coverage could be used for sports-related conditions.
The legislation also addresses women’s and Olympic sports. For larger athletic departments, it would require schools to maintain minimum levels of roster spots and grant-in-aid opportunities for non-revenue sports based on the 2024-25 academic year, subject to exemptions and a waiver process.
If given the green light, the new legislation would also enable schools to voluntarily form collectives to pool and negotiate media rights, while changing the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 to further extend antitrust protection to college sports.
Football and basketball games would also need to become available on a non-exclusive basis to at least one free local television outlet in the home market of participating schools.
The bill’s sponsors say such an approach would create additional revenue while reducing pressure on academic budgets and student fees. Participation would be voluntary, and existing media rights contracts would not be canceled under the proposal.
The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the legislation by a 19-9 vote in June. The revised version was subsequently released in August following negotiations between Cruz, Cantwell and other senators.
No End to the Debate
As expected, the bill has attracted a lot of support and backing from 29 collegiate athletic conferences and more than 370 colleges and universities.
On the opposite side, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has urged senators to reject the legislation, arguing that it would have consequences for college athletes and athletic programs.
The Senate’s next step is consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 4668. As of September 17, the Senate schedule called for a vote on that motion before noon.
If the bill ultimately clears the Senate, it would then have to pass the House before it could reach the president.