WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Commerce Committee scheduled a markup for a college sports bill for June 18. This legislation, co-authored by Senator Maria Cantwell and Senator Ted Cruz, would establish nationwide rules for student-athletes.

The bill would allow student-athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness. It would also grant limited antitrust power to the NCAA or a future national governing entity to enforce rules. The legislation remains neutral on whether student-athletes could be classified as university employees.

Under the proposed bill, a revenue-sharing pool would be established if 102 of 138 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions agree to participate. The legislation also includes a provision prohibiting the formation of superconferences composed of existing members of the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference. On June 2, the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference issued a joint statement opposing the initial version of the bill. Other athletic conferences, including the Atlantic Coast, American Athletic, Big 12, Pac-12, and Conference USA, support the measure.

President Donald Trump publicly supports the college sports bill, urging Congress on June 4 to send the Protect College Sports Act to his desk this summer. Senator Cruz stated he wants both chambers of Congress to pass the bill before the start of the fall athletics season. Senator Eric Schmitt is an original co-sponsor of the legislation.

Several senators proposed amendments to the bill. Senator Bernie Moreno proposed adding targeted antitrust language for the NCAA to the legislation, as well as a prohibition on men playing in women's sports. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester expressed concerns that the bill could require players and families to pay legal fees for disputes with institutions. Senator Ben Ray Luján proposed adding language to restrict the mid-season movement of coaches between programs. "The market for coaches is a bit of a mess as well," Luján said.