February 24, 2020 Group Watch: Bill to Allow College Athletes Compensation Introduced in the House
A bill that would allow college athletes to make money off the use of their name and likeness was introduced in the House last week. The “Fair Pay to Play” bill, sponsored by Rep. Kirk Hatcher (D-Montgomery) is a hot topic and should see some good debate in coming weeks. California has already passed a similar law, and the NCAA’s top governing board voted unanimously to allow this type of player compensation in late 2019, but details on specifics are still being finalized. The bill also calls for the creation of an injury and wage account, funded by revenues from athletic events. The wages in the account would be evenly distributed to all athletes at the end of each year. The injury funds would be given to athletes suffering a career-ending injury; they would receive the funds once they graduate.
