Senate moves forward with college sports bill

Stef W. Kight

U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) (C) and ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) (L) hold a news conference with NCAA athletes and coaches about the Protect College Sports Act — Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation Chairman Ted Cruz . Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Senate voted Tuesday to move forward with a sweeping college sports bill, clearing a key procedural hurdle.

Why it matters: After moths of negotiations and revisions — and with support from President Trump — the legislation finally won enough bipartisan support to clear the Senate's 60-vote threshold.

The vote was 74-24. Another vote for final passage will be held in the coming days.

Zoom in: The Protect College Sports Act would establish protections for name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, guardrails for school revenue sharing with student-athletes, along with rules for transfers, eligibility and recruitment.

It has been championed by Commerce panel chair Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)
It's been a long road for the bill, which faced stark opposition from the Big Ten and the SEC, which ultimately endorsed the bill following changes.
And the issue does not break cleanly along traditional partisan lines. A senator's position is often shaped more by the schools in their state.

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Senate moves forward with college sports bill

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