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Committee advances bill to let colleges compensate athletes under NIL framework; sponsors emphasize oversight
Summary
The Senate Education Committee unanimously advanced first-substitute House Bill 449, which would enable Utah colleges to provide student-athletes compensation tied to name, image and likeness (NIL) arrangements while requiring oversight and periodic audits, sponsors said.
The Senate Education Committee voted to advance first-substitute House Bill 449, Student Athlete Amendments, after the sponsor described the measure as a state framework to let Utah colleges participate in NIL compensation while maintaining oversight.
Sponsor Senator Milner told the committee that recent court decisions and the expected House v. NCAA settlement are reshaping college athletics, and the bill “provides direct compensation for athletes for the name the use of their names, images, and likenesses.” He said the bill would protect student-athletes from penalties by outside athletic associations, require audits every five years, and leave institutions discretion over which athletes receive payments.
Milner said the compensation mechanism would not use state tax dollars: “These are funds that are gonna come in from television and media contracts and other kinds of things. Now, there will not be any state money in this,” he said, adding the funds would come from private donations or media revenue.
Committee members asked about public-records and student-privacy implications. Senator Fillmore asked whether university payments would make athlete compensation public records. Milner replied that student privacy remains subject to FERPA and that disclosures “could be subject to GRAMA” for public records requests and that the committee and sponsor would need to work through those questions.
Senator Riebe delivered a wider policy critique: while she said she would vote for the bill, she criticized the emphasis on athletics and the higher pay for coaches, calling it “unfortunate that our highest paid employees in this most states are our coaches.” Senator Milner and others replied they were acting to protect Utah institutions’ ability to compete nationally.
Senator Hinkins moved that the committee pass the bill out with a favorable recommendation; the committee chair called the voice vote unanimous.
The measure is aimed primarily at the state's larger universities, the sponsor said, and will vary in application across institutions depending on media contracts and private fundraising. The bill includes auditing and transparency provisions; the committee recorded no roll-call tally in its voice vote, and the motion passed as reported by the chair.
