SB 1401

Bill Subjects

Abstract

The Student Athlete Bill of Rights prohibits California postsecondary educational institutions from upholding any rule, requirement, standard or other limitation that prevents an intercollegiate student athlete from earning compensation as a result of the use of the student's name, image, likeness, or athletic reputation. Existing law prohibits a postsecondary educational institution, athletic association, conference or other group or organization with authority over intercollegiate athletics from providing a prospective student athlete with compensation in relation to the athlete's name, image, likeness, or athletic reputation. Existing law authorizes an institution of higher education to establish a degree completion fund, in accordance with applicable rules and bylaws of the governing body of the institution and applicable rules and bylaws of any athletic association of which the institution is a member. This bill would instead require institutions of higher education to establish a degree completion fund for each of its student athletes in accordance with applicable rules and bylaws of the governing body of the institution and applicable rules and bylaws of any athletic association of which the institution is a member, as provided. The bill would require a student athlete to have immediate access to funds in the degree completion fund of up to $25,000 per academic year, to register and provide their institution of higher education with the information necessary to establish a degree completion fund, and if the student athlete completes an undergraduate baccalaureate degree within 6 years from when the student athlete first enrolls at an institution of higher education, to receive the balance of their degree completion fund within 60 days of showing proof of completion. This bill would, among other things, require the amount to be deposited into a student athlete's degree completion fund by the institution of higher education to be determined by subtracting the amount of grant-in-aid athletic scholarships offered in the student athlete's sport from 50% of the athletic program's revenue for that individual sport, divided among each student athlete in that sport, with the resulting quotient allocated to the student athlete's degree completion fund. The bill would prohibit a transfer of funds from an institution of higher education to a student athlete from constituting a payment for purposes of establishing an employment relationship between a student athlete and their institution of higher education, and would prohibit a grant-in-aid athletic scholarship from being reduced as a result of a transfer of funds from an institution of higher education to a student athlete for purposes of a degree completion fund.