WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, introduced the Protecting Student Athletes’ Economic Freedom Act to safeguard college athletes' ability to benefit from their name, image, and likeness.
“In America, hard work and talent should be rewarded. Student-athletes dedicate countless hours to their craft – they deserve the opportunity to benefit from their success. I am proud to introduce this bill, which is a step toward empowering and protecting student-athletes while removing unnecessary regulations that stifle their potential,” McClain said.
The bill would also prohibit student-athletes from being classified as employees under federal and state labor laws and regulations due to their participation in intercollegiate athletics. Making them employees changes their student-athlete classification.
"College athletics have allowed individuals to pursue an education while playing a sport they love. Unfortunately, politics has recently threatened this tradition through re-classifying them as employees and allowing them to unionize. This legislation will protect student-athletes' ability to benefit from the era of NIL while preventing them from being classified as employees. We must keep NLRB bureaucracy out of college sports," Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) said.
To read the full bill text, click here.
