U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today introduced the Collegiate Athlete and Compensation Rights Act to permit student athletes to earn compensation for the use of their name, image, or likeness (NIL). The bill would create a uniform, national framework for NIL compensation.

“A nationwide framework governing student athlete name, image, and likeness compensation is necessary to preserve competition, protect student athletes, and maintain the academic integrity of collegiate institutions,” said Wicker. “My legislation would achieve this standard, and I am eager to see it advance.”

The College Athlete and Compensation Rights Act would:

• Permit student athletes to earn compensation for the use of their name, image, or likeness;
• Protect student athletes and their families from deceptive business practices or exploitation from unscrupulous actors;
• Provide educational resources to student athletes regarding earning compensation for the use of their NIL;
• Preserve amateurism by prohibiting institutions from classifying student athletes as employees and prohibiting boosters from directly or indirectly paying student athletes and their families for the use of their NIL;
• Prohibit third parties from entering into NIL agreements or offering NIL agreements to a student athlete prior to enrollment at an institution;
• Authorize the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to select a private, independent, and nonprofit entity to be responsible for developing and administering NIL rules for student athletes, institutions, associations, certified sports agents, and others operating within the college sports ecosystem;
• Direct the FTC to oversee all activities and approve all rules issued by the selected entity;
• Create a uniform, national framework for student athletes to be compensated for the commercial use of their NIL.

Click here to read the bill.