Protect College Sports Act of 2026
| Date | Chamber | What was voted on | Result | Yes–No | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2026 | Senate · vote #235 | On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed S. 4668 | Agreed To | 74–24 | See who voted → |
Amendments propose changes to this bill. Members vote on amendments separately before the final bill vote. An agreed amendment becomes part of the bill; a failed amendment does not.
| Amendment | Sponsor | Status |
|---|---|---|
| SAMDT 6,768 | Cruz, Ted | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,763 | Cassidy, Bill | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,762 | Cassidy, Bill | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,761 | Kennedy, John | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,760 | Kennedy, John | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,759 | Kennedy, John | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,758 | Paul, Rand | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,757 | Paul, Rand | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,756 | Blackburn, Marsha | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,755 | Lee, Mike | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,754 | Moody, Ashley | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,753 | Moody, Ashley | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,752 | Moody, Ashley | Pending |
| SAMDT 6,744 | Hawley, Josh | Pending |
Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.
Protect College Sports Act of 2026
This bill establishes requirements for name, image, or likeness (NIL) agreements for college student athletes and provides a limited antitrust exemption for schools and conferences to pool and sell certain college sports media rights. The requirements address elements of the court-approved agreement to settle In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (i.e., House settlement).
First, the bill statutorily prohibits institutions, conferences, or interstate intercollegiate athletic associations (e.g., the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA]) from restricting student athletes from entering NIL agreements (subject to specified limitations). Students must report to their institution NIL compensation greater than $600.
The bill requires agents to register with a state and caps agent endorsement contract fees at 5%.
The bill also provides student athletes with one transfer without losing athletic eligibility and restricts football personnel from becoming the head football coach at a different institution during the same season.
Further, the bill prohibits institutions, conferences, or specified entities acting for the benefit of an institution from providing athletes with compensation that circumvents the limit on sharing revenue with student athletes established under the House settlement. The bill also makes the limit permanent and provides for an annual inflation adjustment.
Additionally, the bill establishes (subject to specified conditions) a limited antitrust exemption for institutions or conferences that form joint agreements to transfer their sports telecasting rights to a third party. Such an agreement requires participation from at least 75% of the institutions in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (CR S4449)
- Introduced in Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- Reported to Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-4668/
"S. 4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-4668/.
S. 4668, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-4668/.
[S. 4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-4668/)