Senate agrees to take up college sports bill over Democratic objections
The Senate on September 15, 2026, voted to begin considering the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, a bill that would set national rules for how college athletes can be paid for the use of their name, image, and likeness — known as NIL. The vote to cut off debate on the motion to proceed succeeded 74 to 24, clearing the 60-vote threshold. It is a procedural step that clears the way for the Senate to take up the bill; it is not a vote on the bill itself, and the Senate has not yet held a final vote on passage.
The bill, S. 4668, would bar colleges, conferences, and associations such as the NCAA from stopping student athletes from entering NIL agreements. It would require athletes to report NIL compensation of more than $600 to their school, require agents to register with a state, and cap agent endorsement fees at 5 percent. It would also let athletes transfer once without losing eligibility. The bill would also create a limited antitrust exemption allowing schools and conferences to pool and sell college sports media rights, and make permanent the cap on revenue that schools can share with athletes under the court-approved settlement of the college athlete NIL litigation.
Though the vote to advance was bipartisan, all 24 senators opposed were Democrats. The bill itself has sponsors from both parties. It was introduced by Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican of Texas, along with Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington and Senators Eric Schmitt and Chris Coons.
Cruz, the lead sponsor, urged colleagues to act. He described college sports as “the Wild West,” saying court decisions, conflicting state laws, and unlimited transfers had eroded the system, and argued the bill would protect athletes’ NIL rights while shielding women’s and Olympic sports from an unchecked spending “arms race.” Cantwell, the bill’s lead Democratic sponsor, said the measure sets national rules, invests in women’s athletics, strengthens health and safety, and directs nearly a billion dollars over six years into historically Black colleges and universities.
Opponents said the bill favored the NCAA at athletes’ expense. Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat of New Jersey and a former college football player, spoke against the bill, calling the NCAA “a serial monopolist” and arguing that the measure would grant it a permanent antitrust exemption while giving athletes only temporary protections and too little to safeguard their health, safety, and ability to sue.
With cloture invoked, the Senate proceeds toward debate on the bill.
How your senators voted
See how your senators voted
Use your Google, Microsoft, or Apple sign-in to get to your Project Euthyna account. If you don’t have one yet, we’ll create it. We store the census block you live in, and use it to work out who represents you. We do not store your address. We do not sell anything about you, and you can delete your account, and everything in it, whenever you want.
Continuing means you accept our terms of service and privacy policy.