In 2024, college sports teams generated nearly $1.4 billion in revenue for their universities and the NCAA. The NCAA's revenue derives from events like March Madness, and most university revenue is derived from their football programs. For many decades, the NCAA and universities had insisted student-athletes were either amateurs or employees and were therefore ineligible to be compensated more than the scholarships they receive. However, lawsuits brought by several student-athletes and a $2.7 billion antitrust settlement in 2025 resulted in replacing scholarships with roster limits, and establishing a revenue-sharing model for current athletes. It also cleared the way for universities to directly compensate former athletes for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. The settlement shifted NIL enforcement away from the NCAA by establishing a third-party clearinghouse to monitor these deals. These changes marked a seismic shift from the NCAA’s previous amateurism model.

However, these changes also created confusion over various state laws and court challenges. Advocates say legislation is needed to address the confusion and legal issues surrounding the patchwork of state laws and court decisions that currently govern NIL rights, and clarifying that student-athletes are not employees based solely on their participation in varsity sports. This is a highly debated provision, with some critics arguing it denies athletes fair labor protections.

Pending Legislation: H.R.4312 - SCORE Act
Sponsor: Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL)
Status: Placed on the Union Calendar for potential floor consideration and vote (passed committees 9/11/2025)
House Speaker: Speaker Mike Johnson (LA)

• I oppose reforming current amateur athlete compensation policy and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Speaker Mike Johnson (LA).
• I support establishing a national framework for college athletics, focusing on student-athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and addressing the employee status debate by:
  
  1.) Empowering interstate athletic associations, like the NCAA, to establish uniform NIL standards, replacing the current patchwork of varying state laws.
  
  2.) Prohibiting universities, conferences, and associations from restricting a student-athlete's ability to enter into NIL agreements, with limited exceptions.
  
  3.) Specifying that student-athletes are not employees of their institutions based solely on their participation in varsity sports.
  
  4.) Providing a targeted antitrust "safe harbor" for rules adopted under its authority, which is a major objective for the NCAA.
  
  5.) Including requirements for agents representing student-athletes, including a 5% cap on agent fees for endorsement contracts.
  
  6.) Requiring schools with over $20 million in annual revenue to offer certain benefits to student-athletes, such as mental health support, career counseling, and post-eligibility health benefits for athletic injuries.
  
  7.) Superseding conflicting NIL-related state laws, establishing a single federal standard.
  
  And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Speaker Mike Johnson (LA) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.