Name, image, and likeness compensation for students at institutions of higher education

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill creates certain restrictions on higher education institutions, including the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and its institutions, the Technical College System Board, district boards, and technical colleges, and private colleges (collectively, “institutions”); student athletes; student organization members; and students' professional representatives in relation to compensation for the use of student athletes' and student organization members' name, image, or likeness. In the bill, “student athlete” is defined to mean a student at an institution who participates in an intercollegiate sport. “Intercollegiate sport” is defined as a sport played at the collegiate level for which eligibility requirements for participation are established by an athletic organization, but does not include a recreational, intramural, or club sport. “Student organization member” is defined to mean a student at an institution who participates in an institution-affiliated student organization.

The bill requires institutions to ensure that 1) no institution requirement prevents a student athlete or student organization member from receiving compensation on the basis of the student's name, image, or likeness; 2) any money or item of value received by a student athlete or student organization member for the student's name, image, or likeness is considered compensation and does not affect the student's receipt of a scholarship from the institution; 3) neither an institution nor any person related to or benefiting an institution compensates or promises future compensation to a prospective student athlete for the prospective student athlete's name, image, or likeness; 4) an institution does not compensate or cause compensation to be directed to a student athlete or student organization member for the use of the student's name, image, or likeness; 5) a prospective student athlete or student athlete not be prevented by a contract between the prospective student athlete or student athlete and the institution from using the prospective student athlete's or student athlete's name, image, or likeness for a commercial purpose when the prospective student athlete or student athlete is not engaged in an official team activity; 6) any contract between an institution and a prospective student athlete or student athlete allows the institution and any organization with relevant authority over intercollegiate athletics to use the prospective student athlete's or student athlete's name, image, or likeness for advertising and marketing purposes without paying additional compensation to the prospective student athlete or student athlete; 7) a student athlete or student organization member may obtain professional representation in relation to a name, image, or likeness contract or legal matter; and 8) that each institution create a written policy for how it will respond to a situation in which a student athlete or student organization member at the institution violates the bill's prohibition on a student athlete or student organization member earning name, image, or likeness compensation in connection with certain goods or services.

Who's behind it

2 senators are its authors⁠. All 2 are Democrats.

8 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.