Protect College Sports Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5]
Introduced
Summary
student-athlete protections are the center of this bill. It would protect name, image, and likeness earnings while creating new health, academic, agent, and media-rights rules to govern college sports.
Show full summary
- Student athletes: Would bar institutions from blocking NIL deals or conditioning grants‑in‑aid on NIL activity and would require Division I programs to cover all out‑of‑pocket medical costs for sport injuries, provide 5 years of post‑participation out‑of‑pocket coverage, carry catastrophic insurance above $90,000, and help fund an intercollegiate catastrophic/post‑eligibility pool with at least $60 million.
- Athlete agents and enforcement: Would create state registration plus association certification for agents, require written, eligibility‑limited contracts, cap some endorsement fees at 5 percent, allow private lawsuits with remedies like reinstatement and backpay, prohibit pre‑dispute arbitration waivers, and permit decertification and fines for misconduct.
- Media, governance, and transfers: Would let schools form a covered entity to pool media rights if at least 75 percent of Football Bowl Subdivision schools participate, require revenue protections including a minimum 15 percent allocation to certain FBS members, mandate one Local Outlet per local market for football and basketball, limit certain big conference mergers, and set new transfer and board representation rules.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
8 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
Medical Coverage and Safety Rules
If enacted, Division I schools or associations would have to pay all out-of-pocket medical costs for injuries from college sports while you are participating. Catastrophic injuries with over $90,000 in costs would be covered by required catastrophic insurance. Schools must ensure out-of-pocket coverage continues for five years after your last competition. Associations must maintain a fund of at least $60 million each academic year to help schools with under $20 million in athletics revenue and to cover long-term cases. The bill would also require each school to name an independent athletic health and safety officer and meet listed medical standards within 270 days.
Transfer and Scholarship Protections
If enacted, most student athletes would have up to five calendar years of eligibility. That five-year clock would start the regular academic year after the earlier of your 19th birthday, high school graduation (actual or expected), or first full-time college enrollment. You would be allowed one transfer without losing eligibility; a second transfer would generally cost one year of eligibility unless exceptions apply. Schools could not revoke or reduce your scholarship for injury, normal roster moves, or NIL activity except in listed cases, and they must give timely written notice and a chance to cure. Schools that get pooled media money would have to keep at least as many scholarships and roster spots for non-revenue sports as they had in 2024–2025. Recruiting contacts would be limited to a five-week window after the season and contacts would be allowed only if you opt in.
Rules for Pooled Media Rights
If enacted, a pooled "covered entity" could sell collective media rights only if at least 75% of FBS schools join when the agreement starts. The entity would have to make minimum annual distributions, pay each member at least as much as its largest single-year revenue from 2021–22 through 2024–25, and set aside money for the medical/catastrophic fund before paying members. At least 15% of remaining revenue would be split equally among certain FBS schools. The entity must make one local broadcast option available in each member school's market; the FCC would publish market lists within 180 days. Non-football/basketball rights must be used within one year or they can revert.
Agent Rules and Fee Limit
If enacted, agents would have to register with a State before representing a student athlete in an endorsement. Agents would need a written contract before providing representation that shows the parties, term, registration, and the fee. The bill would cap agent fees for endorsement deals at 5 percent of the deal value and require associations to run a public, searchable registry of certified agents. Agents who lie or break rules could be fined or decertified and could not represent athletes from member schools.
NIL Benefits and Revenue Cap Rules
If enacted, schools and associations could give certain reasonable education- and athletics-related personal benefits, like family travel for documented health or competition needs, meals, short-term lodging, medical costs not provided by the school, and education expenses. NIL deals would have to have a valid business purpose and pay amounts similar to non-student athletes with similar profiles. The bill would also continue the existing revenue-share cap after the named settlement ends and require the cap to be adjusted each year by the CPI-U inflation rate.
Independent Athlete Ombudsman Office
If enacted, each intercollegiate athletic association would have a free Office of the Student Athlete Ombudsman to give independent advice and help resolve concerns. Communications with the Office would be confidential in most cases and staff could not be forced to testify about case files. Interstate associations would pay the ombudsman's salary and costs, and retaliation for contacting the Office would be banned.
No Ads in Athlete Money Lessons
If enacted, institutions could not include marketing, advertising, referrals, or solicitations in financial literacy or life skills programs aimed at student athletes. Those programs would be education-only.
New Private Right to Sue
If enacted, people could sue for violations of the bill's Title provisions after giving 60 days' written notice and an opportunity to cure. If a defendant cures and gives a written assurance, the suit would be barred. Courts could award damages and other relief. The bill would bar pre-dispute arbitration clauses for these claims and limit some venue and defendant rules for transfer and eligibility suits.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5]
WA • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov