Senate Passes College Sports Bill With New Athlete Pay and Transfer Rules

The Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act in a 77-22 bipartisan vote Monday, September 28, 2026, advancing legislation that would reshape how college athletes are paid and allowed to transfer while giving the NCAA federal protection from certain antitrust challenges.

The legislation would establish national rules governing athlete compensation, transfers, and eligibility after years of court decisions, state laws, and changing NCAA policies transformed college sports.

The bill still requires House approval before it can reach President Donald Trump. With the House not expected to return to Washington until after the November elections, lawmakers will have only a limited window to advance the measure before the current Congress ends.

A 2025 settlement in House v. NCAA allowed schools to begin directly sharing roughly $20 million a year in revenue with athletes. The Senate bill would preserve the settlement's revenue-sharing framework while allowing schools to spend another $22.5 million annually through an athlete retention fund. That amount could rise by as much as $5 million based on spending for athletes in women's, Olympic and other nonrevenue sports.

Athletes would also gain a federal right to enter name, image, and likeness agreements. NIL deals worth more than $600 would have to be reported to schools, while agents would generally face a fee cap of 5% of an athlete's earnings.

College athletes would generally get one transfer with immediate eligibility at their new school. A second transfer could cost an athlete a year of eligibility, with exceptions when a team is eliminated, a head coach leaves, an athlete experiences sexual assault or harassment connected to the school, or the athlete transfers to pursue a graduate degree.

A five-year eligibility window would generally begin when an athlete first enrolls full-time in college or during the academic year after turning 19, whichever comes first.

Antitrust lawsuits have repeatedly reshaped NCAA rules governing athlete compensation and eligibility. The Protect College Sports Act would give the NCAA and its member schools limited protection from those challenges when enforcing covered rules, making certain restrictions on athlete pay, transfers and eligibility harder to contest under federal antitrust law.

Division I schools would be required to provide medical coverage while athletes compete and five years of coverage for sports-related injuries after their eligibility ends. Scholarship protections could extend for up to 10 years so former athletes can complete their degrees, while schools would be barred from revoking scholarships because of athletic performance or injury.

Women's, Olympic and other nonrevenue sports would receive additional protections as schools direct more money toward football and basketball. Certain programs would have to maintain minimum numbers of teams, scholarships and roster positions.

Supporters say federal rules would give athletes, schools and conferences greater certainty as college sports operate under NCAA policies, state laws, court decisions and the terms of the House settlement. They also argue nationwide standards could help preserve athletic programs that generate less revenue.

Critics have focused on the antitrust protections and restrictions on athlete compensation and movement. Some lawmakers and labor groups argue the proposal would give the NCAA greater power over athletes while limiting their ability to challenge its rules in court. Others have pressed Congress to give players a larger role in negotiating the rules governing college sports.

The Senate considered several amendments before final passage. Senators rejected proposals that would have capped college coaches' salaries at $5 million, expanded compensation for athletes with catastrophic injuries and restricted increases in ticket prices. Other amendments addressing sexual assault claims, foreign financing and conference realignment were adopted.

A new Commission on the Future of College Athletics would study the structure of college sports, including questions surrounding athletes' labor rights and collective bargaining.

The Senate-approved bill now heads to the House. Any changes made there would have to be reconciled with the Senate version before a final measure could be sent to Trump, who has publicly backed congressional action on college sports.