States follow California, introduce bills to pay student-athletes

In late September, California passed a bill that allows college athletes in the state to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness (NIL) starting in 2023.

The state of play: Lawmakers across the country have introduced similar bills in the five months since then.

• While most agree that national standards would ultimately be preferable to state-by-state chaos, proponents of change have applauded states for pushing the issue and forcing the NCAA to the table to agree that change is needed.

Driving the news: The Florida bill is likely to pass both the state's House and Senate before the legislative session ends in mid-March and would go into effect either this July or July 2021, The Athletic reports (subscription).

• If that happens, it would make Florida the first state where athletes can begin accepting endorsement money — well before Jan. 1, 2023, the effective date of California's original bill.

Go deeper: NCAA coaches react to California law allowing student-athletes to be paid