A bill introduced by Assemblyman Chris Holden would pay up to $25,000 to each college athlete for their participation in athletics. It would also guarantee six-year scholarships and post-college medical expenses.
Assemblyman Holden Introduces The College Athlete Protection Act
Sacramento, CA – former San Diego State Basketball player and Assemblyman Chris Holden introduce, AB 252, The College Athlete Protection Act, which will create a state program paid by colleges to identify and enforce safety standards, certify college athlete agents, ensure transparency in recruiting, and enforce the Act.
The bill will require NCAA Division 1 institution of higher education to establish a degree completion fund for its college athletes who receive athletic grants but do not receive “Fair Market Value” compensation in an academic year.
Degree completion funds will ensure college athletes an equal amount of 50% of their teams revenue upon completion of their undergraduate degree. This bill allows colleges to opt to pay less so long as all new athletes are placed in the degree completion funds.
The College Athlete Protection Act also helps ensure the preservation of all sports which is much needed. Between 2008-2018, California Division 1 colleges’ athletic revenues exploded from $369 million to $649 million. During this period, Division 1 athletic participation decreased by 784 athletes while the number of coaches rose by 107.
“College sports generates billions of dollars in revenue, which is similar to our professional leagues,” said Assemblyman Chris Holden. “However, when serious injuries occur, many of our professional players have substantial contracts and contracts that can sustain them in the event that participation in professional sports is no longer an option while, we cannot say the same for our beloved college athletes and scholars.
“The status quo in NCAA sports is abusive, deadly, and exploitative. This bill would ensure college athletes have crucial protections and can share in equitable amount of the revenue they produce in a way that supports degree completion,” said Ramogi Huma, Executive Director of the National College Players Association and former UCLA football player.
AB 252 will require whistleblower protections and mandatory reporting of suspected safety violations and requires Title IX compliance transparency. The bill will also ensure college athletes at schools with over $20 million in athletic revenue are not stuck with sports-related medical expenses.
Assemblyman Holden’s bill is a comprehensive response to college athlete leaders’ recently launched #FairRevShare college athletes’ rights campaign.
Bill Highlights:
- This bill would establish the College Athlete Protection (CAP) Act for purposes of providing various rights, benefits, and protections to college athletes. The bill instead would require certain institutions of higher education to establish a degree completion fund for its college athletes, as provided. The bill instead would require an institution of higher education to distribute to each college athlete a notice containing college athlete rights and would require the institution to post this notice in a conspicuous location frequented by college athletes, as specified. The bill instead would prohibit an institution of higher education, its employees, coaches, and affiliated medical personnel, as defined, from retaliating against a college athlete for filing a complaint or reporting a violation of college athlete rights provided in the CAP Act. By imposing new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
- An institution of higher education shall establish a degree completion fund for its college athletes who receive athletic grants but do not receive fair market value compensation in an academic year.
- An institution of higher education shall use degree completion funds to compensate each college athlete who receives an athletic grant at the institution but does not receive fair market value compensation in an academic year.
- All degree completion funds of up to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) shall be paid to each college athlete for their participation on the intercollegiate athletics team in an academic year. Payments described in this subdivision shall be made annually no later than 60 days after the institution of higher education submits its annual report pursuant to the federal Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act to the United States Department of Education.
- An institution of higher education that reports twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) or more in annual revenue to the United States Department of Education shall be financially responsible for the out-of-pocket sports-related medical expenses of each college athlete at the institution, and during the two-year period beginning on the date on which the college athlete officially becomes a former college athlete.
Editors Note: Holden introduced the College Athlete Civil Rights Act of 2019 that was signed into state law. That bill requires schools to document and inform athletes of their rights and prohibited retaliation against athletes who reported violations or abuse. More on AB 1573.
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This further demonstrates that there is no end to the stupidity and misplaced priorities of our state legislators.
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