Protect College Sports Act cited in more than 150 third-quarter lobbying reports as bill awaits House action

By Delphine Brooks

WASHINGTON — More than 150 lobbying reports covering the third quarter cite the Protect College Sports Act, the Senate-passed bill to set national rules for college athletes’ name, image and likeness pay, as the measure awaits action in the House, according to an Inquisitor review of Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

The Senate passed the bill, S. 4668, on Sept. 28 by a 77-22 vote. It was received in the House and held at the desk on Oct. 5. A House companion, H.R. 9137, introduced in June by Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., has been referred to the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Workforce committees.

President Trump signed an executive order, “Saving College Sports,” in July 2025, stating that its purpose was “to protect student-athletes and collegiate athletic scholarships and opportunities, including in Olympic and non-revenue programs, and the unique American institution of college sports.” The order, according to a White House fact sheet, addresses third-party pay-for-play payments to college athletes.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the bill’s sponsor and chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said after passage that “today is a monumental day for college athletics,” according to a committee release. The release says the bill is supported by 32 conferences and more than 380 schools, the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and that “President Trump and the Executive Office of the President also emphatically support the legislation.” Cruz urged the House to send the bill “to President Trump’s desk without delay.”

What the bill does

According to the Congressional Research Service summary, the bill would codify athletes’ rights to earn compensation for their name, image and likeness, require reporting of deals above $600, require agents to register and cap their fees at 5 percent, limit athletes to one transfer without penalty, make permanent the revenue-sharing cap from the House v. NCAA settlement, require schools with $80 million or more in athletic revenue to protect non-revenue sports, and grant a limited antitrust exemption for pooled media rights.

The bill drew bipartisan support. Its nine cosponsors include Democratic Sens. Maria Cantwell of Washington, Chris Coons of Delaware, Peter Welch of Vermont, John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, and Republican Sens. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and John Hoeven of North Dakota. The 22 senators voting no included Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky and Rick Scott of Florida, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Who is lobbying

The Inquisitor found 157 third-quarter reports, from 138 registrant-client pairs, that mention the act or its bill numbers. Many of the largest filers are companies and associations that lobby on many issues; their reported totals cover all of their federal lobbying for the quarter, not only college sports. Among them are Amazon, the NCTA, the National Association of Broadcasters, the American Association for Justice and the AFL-CIO. The NCAA reported $290,000 in in-house lobbying expenses.

One new registration names the bill directly. Navigators Global registered Oct. 22 for America First Works on “issues related to college sports, including the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 (H.R.9137/S.4668).” The lobbyists are Ryan Berger, Christopher Cox, whose listed covered position is deputy assistant to the president for legislative affairs, and Sarah (Beatty) Rogers.

Congress.gov lists no House action on the Senate bill since Oct. 5. The Inquisitor is seeking comment from the offices of Cruz and Baumgartner, the NCAA, the Southeastern Conference and America First Works.

Photo: Sen. Ted Cruz, official portrait, 2019. U.S. Senate Photographic Studio (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.