I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8304 

To provide for a limitation on liability for certain institutions regarding 

limitations on compensation to student athletes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 8, 2024 

Mr. FRY (for himself, Mr. MOORE of Alabama, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. NORMAN, 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. TIMMONS, Mr. GUEST, Mr. NEHLS, 

and Mr. JORDAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To provide for a limitation on liability for certain institutions 

regarding limitations on compensation to student athletes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protect the Benefits 

5 for Athletes and Limit Liability Act of 2024’’ or as the 

6 ‘‘Protect the BALL Act of 2024’’. 

7 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 


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1 (1) The term ‘‘academic stipend’’ means a pay2 ment made to a student athlete by (and only by) an 

3 institution not exceeding $5,980 in or attributable to 

4 any academic year. 

5 (2) The term ‘‘intercollegiate athletic associa6 tion’’ shall mean any organization or association 

7 with multiple conferences or institutions as members 

8 that arranges championships and sets rules for na9 tional sports competition between Varsity Intercolle10 giate Teams. 

11 (3) The term ‘‘compensation’’ shall include all 

12 forms of payment and remuneration, in cash, bene13 fits, awards and in any other form, including pay14 ments for licenses of or use of name, image, and 

15 likeness rights or for such other State or Federal in16 tellectual or intangible property rights as are cur17 rently or may hereafter be recognized judicially or 

18 enacted by statute, but does not include the paying 

19 or providing the following to any student athlete: 

20 (A) Tuition, room, board, books, fees, and 

21 personal expenses paid or provided by an insti22 tution up to the full cost of attending such in23 stitution, as defined in section 437 of the High24 er Education Act of 1965, and calculated by 

25 such institution’s financial aid office applying 


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1 the same standards, policies, and procedures for 

2 all students, including such amounts paid or 

3 provided by such institution for both under4 graduate and graduate studies at such institu5 tion. 

6 (B) Pell Grants and other governmental 

7 grants unrelated to participation in varsity 

8 intercollegiate sports competition. 

9 (C) Health insurance and the costs of 

10 healthcare, including health insurance and 

11 healthcare costs wholly or partly self-funded by 

12 an Association, Conference, or institution. 

13 (D) Disability and loss of value insurance, 

14 including disability and loss of value insurance 

15 that is wholly or partly self-funded by an Asso16 ciation, Conference, or institution. 

17 (E) Career counseling and job placement 

18 services and guidance available to all students 

19 at an institution. 

20 (F) Payment of hourly wages and benefits 

21 for work actually performed (and not for par22 ticipation in intercollegiate athletics) at a rate 

23 commensurate with the going rate in the local24 ity of an institution for similar work. 


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1 (G) Programs to connect student athletes 

2 with employers and to facilitate employment op3 portunities, provided the financial terms of such 

4 employment opportunities are consistent with 

5 those offered to similarly situated employees 

6 who are not student athletes and that such pro7 grams are not used to induce a student athlete 

8 to attend an institution. 

9 (H) Payment of an amount not to exceed 

10 the academic stipend to any scholarship athlete 

11 who is enrolled at such institution during the 

12 entire season of competition for a varsity sport. 

13 (4) The term ‘‘conference’’ shall mean any or14 ganization or association with solely institutions as 

15 members that arranges championships and sets rules 

16 for sports competition between varsity intercollegiate 

17 teams. 

18 (5) The term ‘‘institution’’ shall mean any ‘‘in19 stitution of higher education’’ as that term is de20 fined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act 

21 (20 U.S.C. §1001). 

22 (6) The term ‘‘student athlete’’ shall have the 

23 same meaning as in section 2 of the Sports Agent 

24 Responsibility and Trust Act (15 U.S.C. §7801). 


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1 (7) The term ‘‘varsity sports team’’ shall mean 

2 a sports team of student athletes organized by an in3 stitution to compete against teams of student ath4 letes organized by other institutions at the highest 

5 and most competitive level of intercollegiate competi6 tion in which student athletes from the institution 

7 compete, and shall not include sports teams tradi8 tionally characterized as intramural or club teams. 

9 (8) The term ‘‘name, image, and likeness 

10 rights’’ means rights recognized under Federal or 

11 State law that allow an individual to control and 

12 profit from the commercial use of his or her name, 

13 image, likeness, and persona, including all rights 

14 commonly referred to as ‘‘publicity rights’’. 

15 SEC. 3. IN GENERAL. 

16 An institution, interstate intercollegiate athletic asso17 ciation, or conference shall not be in violation of any law 

18 or regulation, and shall not be subject to any manner of 

19 claim or cause of action, whether class, individual or other20 wise, or any liabilities whatsoever, including under any 

21 Federal or State law for— 

22 (1) the adoption of, agreement to, enforcement 

23 of, or compliance with any rule or bylaw of an inter24 state intercollegiate athletic association, conference, 

25 or institution that limits or prohibits a student athVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:05 Jun 07, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8304.IH H8304

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1 lete from receiving compensation from an interstate 

2 intercollegiate athletic association, conference, insti3 tution, or other person or entity; 

4 (2) restricting the eligibility of a student athlete 

5 who violates a rule of the institution, interstate 

6 intercollegiate athletic association, or conference 

7 from participation on a varsity sports team; or 

8 (3) complying with an agreement, under9 standing, rule, or bylaw adopted by an institution, 

10 conference, or association (or a combination of con11 ferences or institutions) that is reasonably con12 templated under Federal law. 

Æ 


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