Protect the BALL Act of 2024

Bill: 118-hr-8304
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Fry, Russell [R-SC-7]
Introduced: 2024-05-08
Policy area: Education
Latest action: action_date: 2024-05-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Summaries:

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8304 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. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protect the Benefits for Athletes and Limit Liability Act of 2024 or as the Protect the BALL Act of 2024 . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) The term academic stipend means a payment made to a student athlete by (and only by) an institution not exceeding $5,980 in or attributable to any academic year. (2) The term intercollegiate athletic association shall mean any organization or association with multiple conferences or institutions as members that arranges championships and sets rules for national sports competition between Varsity Intercollegiate Teams. (3) The term compensation shall include all forms of payment and remuneration, in cash, benefits, awards and in any other form, including payments for licenses of or use of name, image, and likeness rights or for such other State or Federal intellectual or intangible property rights as are currently or may hereafter be recognized judicially or enacted by statute, but does not include the paying or providing the following to any student athlete: (A) Tuition, room, board, books, fees, and personal expenses paid or provided by an institution up to the full cost of attending such institution, as defined in section 437 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and calculated by such institution’s financial aid office applying the same standards, policies, and procedures for all students, including such amounts paid or provided by such institution for both undergraduate and graduate studies at such institution. (B) Pell Grants and other governmental grants unrelated to participation in varsity intercollegiate sports competition. (C) Health insurance and the costs of healthcare, including health insurance and healthcare costs wholly or partly self-funded by an Association, Conference, or institution. (D) Disability and loss of value insurance, including disability and loss of value insurance that is wholly or partly self-funded by an Association, Conference, or institution. (E) Career counseling and job placement services and guidance available to all students at an institution. (F) Payment of hourly wages and benefits for work actually performed (and not for participation in intercollegiate athletics) at a rate commensurate with the going rate in the locality of an institution for similar work. (G) Programs to connect student athletes with employers and to facilitate employment opportunities, provided the financial terms of such employment opportunities are consistent with those offered to similarly situated employees who are not student athletes and that such programs are not used to induce a student athlete to attend an institution. (H) Payment of an amount not to exceed the academic stipend to any scholarship athlete who is enrolled at such institution during the entire season of competition for a varsity sport. (4) The term conference shall mean any organization or association with solely institutions as members that arranges championships and sets rules for sports competition between varsity intercollegiate teams. (5) The term institution shall mean any institution of higher education as that term is defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. §1001). (6) The term student athlete shall have the same meaning as in section 2 of the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act (15 U.S.C. §7801). (7) The term varsity sports team shall mean a sports team of student athletes organized by an institution to compete against teams of student athletes organized by other institutions at the highest and most competitive level of intercollegiate competition in which student athletes from the institution compete, and shall not include sports teams traditionally characterized as intramural or club teams. (8) The term name, image, and likeness rights means rights recognized under Federal or State law that allow an individual to control and profit from the commercial use of his or her name, image, likeness, and persona, including all rights commonly referred to as publicity rights . 3. In general An institution, interstate intercollegiate athletic association, or conference shall not be in violation of any law or regulation, and shall not be subject to any manner of claim or cause of action, whether class, individual or otherwise, or any liabilities whatsoever, including under any Federal or State law for— (1) the adoption of, agreement to, enforcement of, or compliance with any rule or bylaw of an interstate intercollegiate athletic association, conference, or institution that limits or prohibits a student athlete from receiving compensation from an interstate intercollegiate athletic association, conference, institution, or other person or entity; (2) restricting the eligibility of a student athlete who violates a rule of the institution, interstate intercollegiate athletic association, or conference from participation on a varsity sports team; or (3) complying with an agreement, understanding, rule, or bylaw adopted by an institution, conference, or association (or a combination of conferences or institutions) that is reasonably contemplated under Federal law.