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S 238 117th Congress Senate Sports and Recreation Athletes Civil actions and liability Competition and antitrust Contracts and agency Employment discrimination and employee rights Federal preemption Government information and archives Higher education Lawyers and legal services Legal fees and court costs Licensing and registrations Marketing and advertising Photography and imaging School athletics State and local government operations Wages and earnings

College Athlete Economic Freedom Act

Introduced: February 4, 2021 Introduced by: Murphy, Christopher Democratic · Connecticut See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 4, 2021
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Feb 4, 2021
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

College Athlete Economic Freedom Act

This bill establishes name, image, likeness (NIL) and athletic reputation rights for college athletes.

Specifically, the bill

  • establishes a federal right for college athletes to market the use of their NIL or athletic reputation by prohibiting colleges and intercollegiate athletic associations from setting or enforcing rules that restrict this right or coordinating to limit how athletes can use their NIL;
  • prohibits colleges or such athletic associations from regulating athlete representation;
  • authorizes grants for analyzing NIL and athletic reputation monetization;
  • provides for enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission and through a private cause of action against violators; and
  • preempts more restrictive state laws relating to college athletes' NIL and athletic reputation rights.
What's happening now February 4, 2021

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 850 Identical bill College Athlete Economic Freedom Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 238: College Athlete Economic Freedom Act. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-238/
MLA
"S. 238: College Athlete Economic Freedom Act." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-238/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 238, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-238/.
Markdown link
[S. 238: College Athlete Economic Freedom Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-238/)
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