Senate Overwhelmingly Passes ‘Protect College Sports Act’ to Cap CFP Player Payments and Limit Transfers

A federal law to regulate college sports was approved by the Senate on Monday night.

The 77-22 vote sent the bill to the House, where it faces an uncertain future, according to ESPN.

“From the beginning, our objective was not to squeak by with 60 or 61 votes but to have a big bipartisan vote that demonstrates the importance of stepping in and saving and preserving college sports,” Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said.

“President Trump is eager to sign this legislation,” he said.

NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement Monday night that “student-athletes from across the country and all three NCAA Divisions worked hard to get this legislation moving and thanks to their advocacy, the bill just received a massive, bipartisan vote in the Senate.”

“Now the bill moves to the U.S. House of Representatives and there is much work left to do to ensure student-athlete benefits are codified into federal law and future generations of young people can access those benefits and use college sports as the launching point for their careers.”

The bill reins in how much colleges can pay student-athletes, limits how often players can jump from team to team seeking a better deal, and requires athletes to spend no more than five years in college.

College sports were headed off a cliff: endless lawsuits, no rules, and women’s and Olympic sports on the chopping block.

Tonight, 77 Senators said enough.

The Protect College Sports Act passed with a massive bipartisan vote. It protects the athletes, protects the programs, and protects a great American tradition for our kids and grandkids.

Now, it goes to the House. Let’s get this to President Trump’s desk before Election Day, on the set of College Gameday.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 29, 2026

The Senate rejected, on a 52-47 vote, a $5 million limit for coach pay.

“If the bill supporters believe these rules are necessary for athletes, they should be willing to apply them to coaches, as well,” Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said. “This bill sells out college athletes.”

The bill offers a new mechanism to keep colleges from changing conferences in a drive for dollars. Conferences are capped at 20 teams, and jumpers from one conference to another must spend three years without conference membership before the leap takes effect.

The Big Ten and the SEC have their imprint on the final bill, having supported a section of the legislation that increases what players are paid from a cap of $21.5 million to $49 million. Players are paid money for the use of their name, image, and likeness.

Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington said one goal of the bill was to end the “runaway arms race” of college sports spending, particularly on football.

“There is more to do, but we need to pass a bill tonight because we need to stop stealing money out of colleges and universities for tuitions, for professors, and putting it into an arms race on sports,” Cantwell said on the Senate floor.

“It is not the final solution. It is putting a pin in the problem and to stabilize the loss of women’s and Olympic [sports] and to create the opportunity to discuss the larger structure moving forward. We are on our way to solving the problems that exist,” she said.

Trump posted about his support for the bill on .

“The Protect College Sport Act just passed in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 77-22. This is a really big deal. It will not only save college sports, it will save the colleges themselves. Congratulations to Randy Levine, President of the New York Yankees, and all of those who worked with him, on a job well done!” he wrote.

As the Salt Lake Tribune noted, the bill includes a non-binding clause calling for the College Football Playoff to end by Jan. 8 of any given year.

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