Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes compensation for college athletes.

Highlights:

• Prohibits a postsecondary education institution from creating or enforcing a rule, requirement, standard, or another limitation preventing a student-athlete of that institute from earning compensation as a result of the use of their name, image, likeness, or athletic reputation (Sec. 2).

• Prohibits the earning of compensation by a student-athlete from the use of their name, image, likeness, or athletic reputation from affecting a student-athlete’s scholarship eligibility or scholarship renewal eligibility unless otherwise required by federal laws or institutional standards governing need-based awarded due to income received (Sec. 2).

• Prohibits a postsecondary educational institution or athletic department from (Sec. 3):

• Interfering with or preventing a student-athlete from obtaining professional representation in relation to contracts or legal matters, including but not limited to, representation provided by an athlete agent or legal representation provided by an attorney; or

• Interfering with or preventing a student-athlete from fully participating in intercollegiate athletics as a result of the student-athlete obtaining professional representation.

• Requires a student-athlete who enters into a contract providing compensation to the student to disclose the contract to an official of the postsecondary educational institution (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that a student-athlete is deemed to have granted the student’s postsecondary educational institution the right, royalty-free and without compensation in return, to use the student-athlete’s name, image, likeness, or athletic reputation and any alterations, to the extent and in the form determined in the institution’s sole discretion, at any time for its advertising and marketing of athletic, academic, promotional, and historical interests (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that any contractual provision in a contract between a student-athlete and a third-party sponsor or athlete agent in conflict with the above highlight is null and void (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that this bill does not authorize prospective student-athletes who may attend a postsecondary educational institution to negotiate, discuss, or receive compensation for the use of their name, image, likeness, or athletic reputation prior to their enrollment in the postsecondary educational institution, practice, or competition in intercollegiate athletics (Sec. 4).

• Defines a “postsecondary educational institution” as a public or private institution in the state that offers a degree or course of study beyond grade 12 and its controlled athletic entities including technical colleges, municipal universities, and community colleges (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that “postsecondary educational institute” does not include any accredited not-for-profit secondary educational institution with a physical presence in the state that is exempt from the Kansas pirate and out-of-state postsecondary education institution act if such institution elects to be exempt from the provisions of this act (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text