A new bill introduced Monday in the House of Representatives would “replace the NCAA while also shaking up the college athletics landscape, including with the transfer portal and conference realignment,” according to Nick Schultz of ON3. The bill would “create the American College Sports Association,” which would “oversee and regulate college sports.” The ACSA would “have a commissioner appointed by the President with advice and consent of the Senate.” The commissioner would “serve four-year terms.” The bill also calls for “NIL funds and revenue directly shared with the schools to be distributed ‘equally among all student athletes of such institutions within the ACSA.‘” Broadcast revenue also would “need to be distributed equally,” and athletes would be “able to transfer ‘freely’ and do so without penalty or restrictions.” Conferences would “need to include teams within the same time zone, with travel and academic concerns cited as reasons.” The bill also “takes aim at coaches’ salaries,” with a maximum annual salary having a “cap of, ‘10 times the full cost of attendance at such institution’” (ON3, 4/8). RELATED STORY Analysis: House settlement final approval hearing concludes without a ruling A NEW APPROACH: U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.) said that his bill -- The Restore College Sports Act -- “reflected not only good policy, but good politics.” Baumgartner: “The NCAA is a defunct and broken institution that nobody likes. You need to make elected officials accountable for these things, because it is in the public interest.” Boise State assistant professor of legal studies Sam Ehrlich said that Baumgartner’s legislation “stands out from the numerous other NIL-related bills introduced in Congress in recent years” because it “envisions a wholesale remaking of the college sports landscape, rather than simply putting guardrails on the existing system.” In Spokane, Orion Donovan Smith noted U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has introduced his own legislation to “codify NIL rights in federal law.” However, Murphy “estimated the chances of Congress passing NIL-related legislation before the end of 2026 are ‘close to zero’” (Spokane SPOKESMAN-REVIEW, 4/8). EMPLOYMENT STATUS: USA TODAY’s Steve Berkowitz noted another bill introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) would “prevent college athletes from being employees of their schools, conferences or an athletic association.” The bill’s introduction comes amid “ongoing lobbying efforts by the NCAA and college conferences for national legislation that would keep athletes from being school employees; create a national framework for athletes’ activities to make money from their name, image and likeness; and grant the association and the schools at least some measure of protection from further antitrust suits.” Power Four conference and school officials and athletes are set to spend tomorrow “visiting lawmakers’ offices in Washington.” Efforts toward “further, more comprehensive legislation are ongoing in the Senate” (USA TODAY, 4/8). ** Edited by Stech at 4/9/2025, 1:18:11 PM