# 119-s-4177: Student Athlete Act of 2026

119-s-4177, Student Athlete Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL] (R-AL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4177
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4177
- Congress: 119
- Title: Student Athlete Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL] (R-AL)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Sports and Recreation
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Creates a national standard for student‑athlete eligibility and transfers.** This bill would set a uniform five‑year eligibility window, designate the NCAA to run transfer‑portal rules, and preserve scholarship commitments while limiting conflicting state laws.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL] (R-FL), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stronger scholarship and aid protections: benefit, high. This bill would expand what counts as a school "grant-in-aid." It would include tuition, room and board, books, fees, and other personal costs up to the school's full cost of attendance. It would also include Federal Pell Grants and other state and federal grants unrelated to sports, certain school…
- Stops state laws that limit athletes: benefit, low. This bill would prevent any State or local government from making or enforcing laws that conflict with this Act or that limit the rights of student athletes, the NCAA, conferences, or schools. If enacted, the change would take effect on enactment and protect the Act's rules across all states.
- New athlete transfer and eligibility rules: mixed, medium. This bill would make a student athlete who transfers ineligible to play during the academic year they entered the transfer portal. That restriction would not apply if it is the athlete's first transfer. The bill would also set a hard five consecutive year limit on eligibility to play, even for inju…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-4328: FLEX Act
- 119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-275: Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act of 2025
- 119-s-3653: Veterans’ Bill of Rights Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4177 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4177)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-4328: FLEX Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4328)
- [119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3492)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-275: Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS)…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-275)
- [119-s-3653: Veterans’ Bill of Rights Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3653)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4177 (as of 2026-09-10).