The record

LegislationLegislation· Oct 2026
S 4668 Passed Senate — in House

Sponsored by Ted Cruz (R)

Protect College Sports Act of 2026

Lets college athletes profit from their name and image; requires agents to register and caps their fees at 5%.

Tradeoff

Gives student athletes explicit federal rights to name, image, and likeness deals while creating new federal rules for agents and colleges. Costs about $7 million over five years in federal administrative spending.

What's in it

See official bill text

Costs $7 million over 2026-2031 in federal spending subject to , with minimal direct spending or revenue impact.

The $7 million is just the federal cost to administer and enforce the new NIL regulatory framework and operate a commission — the bill's real impact falls on colleges, conferences, and sports agents, which must comply with new NIL rules and other regulatory requirements.

S. 4668, Protect College Sports Act of 2026 · Jul 2026

The Senate passed this 77-22 on September 28, 2026, after agreeing to proceed and advance the bill through votes in mid-to-late September. The bill is now in the House.

  1. Senate

    Introduced

    (Jun 2, 2026)

  2. Senate

    Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation(Jun 2, 2026)

  3. Senate

    The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted to send it to the floor

    Reported(Jun 18, 2026)

  4. Senate

    On on the

    Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 4668

    Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Agreed to(Roll #235 · Sep 15, 2026)

    74 yeanay 24

  5. Senate

    On the

    Motion to Proceed to S. 4668

    Motion to Proceed Agreed to(Roll #236 · Sep 17, 2026)

    77 yeanay 22

  6. Senate · Amended

    Senator Cruz's

    Agreed to(S.Amdt. 6776 · Sep 24, 2026 · 77-23)

    Drops the conference merger ban for conferences with over $1,000,000,000 in revenue and adds $180,000,000 per fiscal year for HBCU broadcast grants.

  7. Senate

    On the Motion

    Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. 4668, as Amended

    Cloture Motion Agreed to(Roll #243 · Sep 24, 2026)

    74 yeanay 25

  8. Senate

    Passage of the bill

    S. 4668, as amended

    Bill Passed(Roll #250 · Sep 28, 2026)

    77 yeanay 22

  9. House

    Received from the Senate

    Received(Oct 5, 2026)

Passage votes so far· Sep 28, 2026· 119th Congress · 2025–2027