# 119-hr-9137: Protect College Sports Act of 2026 119-hr-9137, Protect College Sports Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5] (R-WA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9137 - As of: 2026-09-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-9137 - Congress: 119 - Title: Protect College Sports Act of 2026 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-06-04 - Sponsor: Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5] (R-WA) - Cosponsors: 1 - Policy area: Sports and Recreation - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-12 ## Summary **A federal framework to govern college athletes' name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and reshape who controls media revenue.** This bill would set nationwide rules for NIL deals, agent conduct, health protections, and pooled media-rights governance. ## Cosponsors (1) - Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ), 2026-09-10T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Medical coverage and safety rules: benefit, high. If enacted, Division I schools would have to pay all out-of-pocket medical costs (copays and deductibles) for injuries from participation while you play. Schools would must provide a paid independent second opinion and catastrophic coverage for medical costs over $90,000. Out-of-pocket coverage wou… - Agent rules and 5% fee cap: benefit, medium. If enacted, agents who represent student athletes for endorsements would need to register with a State and sign a written agency contract before representing an athlete. Agent contracts would have to show the parties, term, registration info, and the fee. An agent could not charge more than 5% of a… - Legal help, ombudsman, and whistleblower safeguards: benefit, medium. If enacted, current and former student athletes and others could sue to enforce many parts of the bill, ask courts to void bad NIL or agent contracts, and seek actual damages. Pre-dispute arbitration and class-action waivers would usually not apply to these disputes. Associations would be required… - Student athletes on governing boards: benefit, low. If enacted, at least one-third of the membership and voting power of any governing board or rulemaking committee must be current student athletes or graduates from the last ten years. Former student athletes who are current or former employees of an association or school would not count toward that… - Media pooling, local access, and antitrust: mixed, high. If enacted, schools and conferences would be able to form a covered entity that pools and sells member media rights without antitrust liability if it follows the bill's rules. A covered entity must include at least 75% of FBS schools at formation and must offer fair membership terms. The pool must… - Scholarship, academic, and transfer rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, schools generally could not cut or reduce a grant-in-aid just for poor performance, injury, or roster moves. Schools can revoke aid for transfers or serious rule breaches, but they must give written notice and a chance to cure. You would get one transfer without losing eligibility; a se… - Student NIL rules and limits: mixed, medium. If enacted, Division I student athletes would have protected rights to market their name, image, and likeness (NIL) and could receive payments from schools, conferences, collectives, or third parties. You would have to report NIL deals and payments over $600 from the same entity within 12 months to… - Coach moves and recruiting windows: mixed, low. If enacted, people who work for an FBS football team during its season could not perform head-coach duties for another school during that same season. A mid-season head-coach hire could be barred from serving until the later season ends. The bill would also limit recruiting contacts to a five-week… ## Related bills - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025 - 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025 - 119-hr-9211: Jewish American Security Act - 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act - 119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-hr-9137 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9137) ## Related - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229) - [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669) - [119-hr-9211: Jewish American Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9211) - [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262) - [119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-740) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9137 (as of 2026-09-12).