# 119-hr-4868: College Athlete Economic Freedom Act

119-hr-4868, College Athlete Economic Freedom Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4868
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4868
- Congress: 119
- Title: College Athlete Economic Freedom Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-08-01
- Sponsor: Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Sports and Recreation
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Empower college athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL).** This bill would set a single federal rulebook that lets athletes sign NIL deals alone or together, adds enforcement tools, and adjusts visas for international players. - College athletes: Would protect athletes' rights to market their NIL and to hire agents or lawyers. It would preserve existing grant-in-aid eligibility while banning institutional rules that block NIL deals. - International college athletes: Would change visa and employment rules so international athletes can take part in NIL deals without losing status and would allow schools to report eligibility and wages for those activities. - Institutions and institutional collectives: Would require institutional NIL collectives to register with the Federal Trade Commission and file annual reports by September 1 with disaggregated data by gender, race, and sport, and to provide equitable NIL support without discrimination. - Enforcement and preemption: Would give the FTC authority to treat NIL violations as unfair or deceptive acts, allow private lawsuits for damages and fees, and preempt state laws that conflict with athletes' ability to contract for NIL.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Scholarships safe if you do NIL: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would say NIL pay would not hurt your chance to get a scholarship (grant‑in‑aid). It would not change the amount, length, or renewal of your scholarship. The bill would also leave the current tax rules for qualified scholarships unchanged.
- New rights to do name‑image likeness deals: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would let college athletes and recruits market their name, image, and likeness. Schools and athletic groups could not block you from NIL deals or from using an agent or a group to represent you. If a school helps with NIL, that help would have to be open to all athletes, no mat…
- NIL work for international college athletes: benefit, medium. If enacted, international college athletes in the F(ii) category would be allowed to do NIL work during their authorized stay. DHS would issue proof of work authorization, and a school‑signed Form I‑20 for NIL would count as evidence. Past NIL work alone would not make you inadmissible or cause los…
- Stronger federal enforcement of NIL rules: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Federal Trade Commission would enforce these NIL rules, including for nonprofit groups. The FTC would issue rules, and violations would count as per se antitrust violations. People hurt by violations could sue in federal court for actual damages and attorney fees. States could not e…
- Grants to study the NIL market: benefit, low. If enacted, the Commerce Department could give grants or contracts at least once a year to study the NIL market. Each report would cover the prior year, estimate athlete pay by gender, race, and sport, and be published with its surveys. Grantees would also send recommendations to address any gaps.…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-5658: Child Care for Every Community Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-4868 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4868)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4393)
- [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-5658: Child Care for Every Community Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5658)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4868 (as of 2026-04-21).