# Arizona SB 1615: student athletes; employment status; restrictions Arizona SB 1615, student athletes; employment status; restrictions, is a Fifty-seventh Legislature - First Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Thomas "T.J." Shope (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-01 (Final Reading: Passed); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-27). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AZ-SB1615-57th-1st-regular - As of: 2026-10-27 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arizona SB 1615 - State: Arizona - Session: Fifty-seventh Legislature - First Regular Session - Title: student athletes; employment status; restrictions - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-02-12 - Last action: 2025-05-01, Final Reading: Passed - Sponsor: Thomas "T.J." Shope (Republican) - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: abor (see also: arizona board of regents) (h), arizona board of regents (abor) (h), collegiate athletics, confidentiality, criminal code - title 13, definitions, education - title 15, emergency, emergency clause, employment status, exclusions, injunctive relief, postsecondary education institutions, postsecondary institutions (h), prohibitions, public records exemption, restrictions, student athlete compensation, student athlete employment status, student athletes - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 7 (122 yes, 6 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 8 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Athletes keep scholarships and sports access: benefit, high. A college cannot limit an athlete’s participation because of covered compensation activities or professional representation from an agent or lawyer. It cannot use those activities to decide scholarship eligibility or renewal. A college also cannot take away a scholarship or declare an athlete ineli… - Private records for athlete contracts: benefit, low. Records about a student athlete’s name, image, or likeness contract or proposed contract are not public records. Information a college collects about the contract is confidential and cannot be publicly disclosed. - Raffles can support athlete earnings: benefit, low. An Arizona Board of Regents university or a qualifying tax-exempt group that helps athletes earn name, image, or likeness money can hold raffles. The sponsor must have existed continuously in Arizona for one year before the raffle. Insiders cannot receive a financial benefit beyond taking part on e… - Courts protect athlete earning rights: benefit, low. Regulators cannot block covered athlete or school participation because of compensation or professional representation allowed by the law. They also cannot take certain actions over conduct the law allows. Athletes can ask a court to stop a school or regulator from violating the law. Colleges, mark… - NIL earnings do not ensure employee status: cost, medium. A college cannot classify a student athlete as its employee solely because the athlete takes part in its sports program or receives covered compensation or shared revenue. The law does not decide whether other reasons can support employee status. - Limits on employee liability for lost earnings: cost, low. A college or third-party employee is not liable when a routine decision or action in an intercollegiate sports program keeps an athlete from earning name, image, or likeness money. This can limit the athlete’s ability to seek a remedy from that employee. - More ways for athletes to earn: mixed, medium. Arizona colleges that compete in intercollegiate sports must let student athletes earn money from use of their own name, image, or likeness. Colleges can also pay athletes for that use and support groups that help create earning opportunities. Colleges cannot use money collected from student fees t… - Rules and court process for athlete deals: mixed, medium. Athletes must disclose proposed name, image, or likeness contracts to their college before signing. Contracts cannot conflict with team or school contracts, athletic policies, or the honor code. Athletes need express school approval to use school property for these opportunities. If a college finds… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Thomas "T.J." Shope (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-05-01 | Senate | CONCUR: Passed | fail | | | | | 2025-05-01 | Senate | FINAL: Passed | pass | 22 | 0 | | | 2025-04-14 | Senate | THIRD: Passed | pass | 51 | 4 | | | 2025-04-07 | Senate | C&P | pass | 7 | 0 | | | 2025-03-25 | Senate | DPA | pass | 11 | 1 | | | 2025-03-13 | Senate | THIRD: Passed | pass | 26 | 1 | | | 2025-02-12 | Senate | DP | pass | 5 | 0 | | ## Actions (10) - 2025-05-01: Final Reading: Passed (Senate) - 2025-05-01: Concurrence: Passed (Senate) - 2025-04-14: Third Reading: Passed (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Committee of the Whole: do pass amended (Senate) - 2025-04-07: undefined: C&P (Senate) - 2025-03-25: undefined: DPA (Senate) - 2025-03-13: Third Reading: Passed (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Committee of the Whole: do pass amended (Senate) - 2025-02-17: undefined: PFC (Senate) - 2025-02-12: undefined: DP (Senate) ## Bill text - Chaptered Version: [HTML](https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/57leg/1R/laws/0143.htm), [PDF](https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/GetDocumentPdf/530247) - House Engrossed Version: [HTML](https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/57leg/1R/bills/SB1615H.htm), [PDF](https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/GetDocumentPdf/529159) - Introduced Version: [HTML](https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/57leg/1R/bills/SB1615P.htm), [PDF](https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/GetDocumentPdf/522812) - Senate Engrossed Version: [HTML](https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/57leg/1R/bills/SB1615S.htm), [PDF](https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/GetDocumentPdf/527126) ## Related bills - SB 1537: transitional housing; reentry programs; licensure (signed) - SB 1529: municipal housing; preapproved design (signed) - SB 1496: tax credit; qualifying charitable organizations (signed) - SB 1281: adjutant general; duties (signed) - HB 2015: EORP; CORP; funded ratio (signed) - HB 2077: ASRS; long-term disability (signed) ## Sources - [Chaptered Version (HTML)](https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/57leg/1R/laws/0143.htm) - [Chaptered Version (PDF)](https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/GetDocumentPdf/530247) - [House Engrossed Version (HTML)](https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/57leg/1R/bills/SB1615H.htm) - [House Engrossed Version (PDF)](https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/GetDocumentPdf/529159) - [Introduced Version (HTML)](https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/57leg/1R/bills/SB1615P.htm) - [Introduced Version (PDF)](https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/GetDocumentPdf/522812) - [Senate Engrossed Version (HTML)](https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/57leg/1R/bills/SB1615S.htm) - [Senate Engrossed Version (PDF)](https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/GetDocumentPdf/527126) ## Related - [SB 1537: transitional housing; reentry programs; licensure](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AZ-SB1537-57th-1st-regular) - [SB 1529: municipal housing; preapproved design](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AZ-SB1529-57th-1st-regular) - [SB 1496: tax credit; qualifying charitable organizations](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AZ-SB1496-57th-1st-regular) - [SB 1281: adjutant general; duties](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AZ-SB1281-57th-1st-regular) - [HB 2015: EORP; CORP; funded ratio](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AZ-HB2015-57th-1st-regular) - [HB 2077: ASRS; long-term disability](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AZ-HB2077-57th-1st-regular) - [Arizona bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/arizona/bills) - [Arizona state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/arizona) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AZ-SB1615-57th-1st-regular (as of 2026-10-27).