[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8304 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.

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

SECTION 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''.

SEC. 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. Sec. 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. Sec. 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''.

SEC. 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.
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