Senate passes sweeping college sports package

The Senate passed the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act on Monday, voting 77 to 22 in favor of the sweeping overhaul of college athletics. Why it matters: It is a massive piece of legislation, setting national rules on everything from name, image and likeness compensation and the transfer portal to conference realignment and pooled media rights. Between the lines: The bill's path through the Senate has been long and full of hiccups. Legislators made changes to convince the Big Ten and SEC, secured President Trump's backing, reassured Republicans that it would not supersede state laws on transgender athletes and fended off union language pushed by some Democrats. Zoom in: The bill allows the NCAA to set and enforce standardized rules on transfers, recruits and pay-for-play NIL arrangements. It caps the amount schools can pay student athletes and tries to prevent the formation of a super league. The bill generally allows ongoing lawsuits to continue. It gives student athletes five years of eligibility, starting when they enroll or turn 19 years old, and permits one free transfer. It also codifies a caps on the revenue schools can share with current players, raising it to around $50 million per school. The bill reduces — from five to three years — the time a school has to remain independent before moving from one Power Four conference to another. What's next: The bill faces an uphill battle in the House, and don't expect lawmakers to cut their six-week pre-election recess short to pass it. House GOP leaders tried to bring their own college sports bill, the SCORE Act, to the floor in May, but pulled it after opposition from the Congressional Black Caucus and a handful of Republicans left them without the votes. That opposition persists. Some House Republicans also want to add restrictions on foreign athletes, a change that would jeopardize the bipartisan coalition behind the bill in the Senate.

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