S4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026
119th Congress (2025–2027) · Senate bill · Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
119th Congress (2025–2027) · Senate bill · Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Roll-call votes | 4 |
| Chamber | Senate |
| Latest vote | 2026-09-28: Bill Passed (77-22) |
| Latest action | 2026-10-05: Held at the desk. |
| Policy area | Sports and Recreation |
| Official record | Congress.gov |
Protect College Sports Act of 2026This bill establishes requirements for name, image, or likeness (NIL) agreements for college student athletes and provides a limited antitrust exemption for schools and conferences to pool and sell certain college sports media rights. The requirements address elements of the court-approved agreement to settle In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (i.e., House settlement). First, the bill statutorily prohibits institutions, conferences, or interstate intercollegiate athletic associations (e.g., the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA]) from restricting student athletes from entering NIL agreements (subject to specified limitations). Students must report to their institution NIL compensation greater than $600. The bill requires agents to register with a state and caps agent endorsement contract fees at 5%. The bill also provides student athletes with one transfer without losing athletic eligibility and restricts football personnel from becoming the head football coach at a different institution during the same season. Further, the bill prohibits institutions, conferences, or specified entities acting for the benefit of an institution from providing athletes with compensation that circumvents the limit on sharing revenue with student athletes established under the House settlement. The bill also makes the limit permanent and provides for an annual inflation adjustment. The bill generally prohibits Division I conferences from reducing the number of varsity or Olympic sports teams that a member institution must sponsor. Specifically…
Subjects: Athletes, Contracts and agency, Digital media, Higher education, Inflation and prices, Intellectual property, Licensing and registrations, School athletics, State and local government operations, Television and film
Every recorded vote on this bill, newest first, with a link to the official tally. Member-by-member positions are on each member’s profile.
| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay | Not voting | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-28 | Senate | On Passage of the Bill S. 4668 | Bill Passed (77-22) | 76 | 21 | 1 | Official tally |
| 2026-09-24 | Senate | On the Cloture Motion S. 4668 | Cloture Motion Agreed to (74-25, 3/5 majority required) | 73 | 24 | 1 | Official tally |
| 2026-09-17 | Senate | On the Motion to Proceed S. 4668 | Motion to Proceed Agreed to (77-22) | 76 | 21 | 1 | Official tally |
| 2026-09-15 | Senate | On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed S. 4668 | Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Agreed to (74-24, 3/5 majority required) | 73 | 23 | 2 | Official tally |
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The Hill · 2026-09-26
S4668 (Protect College Sports Act of 2026) was introduced in the 119th Congress (2025–2027) by Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX].
On 2026-10-05: Held at the desk.
4 recorded votes in the 119th Congress. The most recent, on 2026-09-28, was "On Passage of the Bill S. 4668": Bill Passed (77-22).