[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8534 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8534

 To prohibit a student athlete from being considered an employee of an 
institution, a conference, or an association based on participation in 
                   certain intercollegiate athletics.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2024

 Mr. Good of Virginia (for himself, Ms. Foxx, Mr. Owens, Mr. Burlison, 
   Mr. Ogles, Mr. Walberg, Mr. Allen, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
  LaMalfa, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, and Mr. Aderholt) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                             the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prohibit a student athlete from being considered an employee of an 
institution, a conference, or an association based on participation in 
                   certain intercollegiate athletics.

    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 ``Protecting Student Athletes' 
Economic Freedom Act''.

SEC. 2. EMPLOYMENT STANDINGS.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal or State law, a 
student athlete (or former student athlete) may not be considered an 
employee of an institution, a conference, or an association under any 
Federal or State law or regulation based on participation of the 
student athlete (or former student athlete) in a varsity 
intercollegiate athletics program or a varsity intercollegiate 
athletics competition, or the existence of rules or requirements for 
being a member of any varsity sports team.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Association.--The term ``association'' means an 
        organization that--
                    (A) has multiple conferences and institutions as 
                members;
                    (B) arranges championships for varsity 
                intercollegiate athletics programs;
                    (C) sets rules for varsity intercollegiate 
                athletics programs;
                    (D) sets rules for varsity intercollegiate 
                athletics competitions; and
                    (E) is not a conference.
            (2) Conference.--The term ``conference'' means an 
        organization that--
                    (A) has multiple institutions as members;
                    (B) sets rules for varsity intercollegiate 
                athletics competitions;
                    (C) arranges championships for varsity 
                intercollegiate athletics programs; and
                    (D) is not an association.
            (3) Institution.--The term ``institution'' means an 
        institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) that 
        sponsors a varsity intercollegiate athletics program in the 
        United States.
            (4) Student athlete.--The term ``student athlete'' means an 
        individual who participates in a varsity intercollegiate 
        athletics program.
            (5) Varsity intercollegiate athletics competition.--The 
        term ``varsity intercollegiate athletics competition'' means a 
        competition involving 2 or more varsity intercollegiate 
        athletics programs sponsored by different institutions.
            (6) Varsity intercollegiate athletics program.--The term 
        ``varsity intercollegiate athletics program'' means a team or 
        other program unit of an institution participating in a sport--
                    (A) played at the intercollegiate level;
                    (B) administered by an athletic department; and
                    (C) for which eligibility requirements for 
                participation by student athletes are established by an 
                association.
            (7) Varsity sports team.--The term ``varsity sports 
        team''--
                    (A) means a team of student athletes organized by a 
                varsity intercollegiate athletics program to 
                participate in a varsity intercollegiate athletics 
                competition; and
                    (B) does not include a team that is traditionally 
                characterized as an intramural or club team.
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