Senate lawmakers approved a major bipartisan measure on Monday in Washington to set national rules for university athletics. The 77-22 vote establishes limits on player payments and transfers while giving the NCAA new legal oversight.
The measure seeks to codify a 2025 court settlement that allowed schools to pay players directly. It provides limited antitrust protections for the NCAA to enforce national standards.
“It would be nice if college sports could somehow magically fix itself, but this is a matter of law, federal law, and only Congress can fix it,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz.
Cruz negotiated the package with Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell. More than 70 senators from both parties backed the final roll call.
The legislation sets a revenue cap allowing universities to distribute up to $21.5 million to athletes. Certain programs could share an extra $27.5 million through a dedicated retention fund.
That provision secured crucial backing from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference. The measure also permits conferences and programs to pool their television media rights.
Athletes would receive one free transfer across five years without sitting out a season. Total athletic eligibility would face a strict limit of five years.
The rules follow recent moves by programs like LSU, which canceled plans to field players from NFL camps. The bill also bars head coaches from leaving teams midseason.
Schools that switch leagues must spend three years as an independent program. Conferences cannot exceed 20 teams under an amendment from Florida Sen. Ashley Moody.
Senators spent hours in Washington negotiating Moody’s provision and measures regarding sexual assault lawsuits and foreign financing disclosures. The chamber rejected an amendment from Sen. John Kennedy to cap ticket prices.
Lawmakers also defeated two proposals from Sen. Cory Booker. Those amendments sought to cap head coach salaries at $5 million and boost injury compensation.
“This is a bill that essentially ensconces a system of exploitation, and it doesn’t fix the broader problems,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy.
Murphy noted that the measure caps student revenue without limiting donations or coaching pay. Civil rights groups, the NAACP, the AFL-CIO and the Congressional Black Caucus oppose the plan.
All four Black Senate Democrats voted against the measure. Booker noted that the NCAA sought antitrust exemptions after players began winning court cases.
“We know who this bill is protecting,” Booker said.
The proposal includes health insurance guarantees, scholarship protections, and limits on athlete agent fees. Schools must also maintain baseline roster spots to protect non-revenue and women’s programs.
Federal legislation requires approval by both congressional chambers and the president to become law. Measures that fail to clear both the House and Senate before a term ends expire.
President Donald Trump and the White House formally endorsed the legislation last month. House members remain in recess and will return to Washington after the November elections.
