Senate passes the college sports bill 77-22: pay caps, transfer limits, athlete protections. The House is out until after the midterms.

The Senate passed a sweeping bipartisan bill on Monday, Sept. 28, to regulate college sports, 77-22, the Associated Press reports via NBC News. It is Congress' strongest effort yet to set national rules for payments to athletes for their names, images and likenesses and for how often they can transfer. The bill would give the NCAA new authority over those rules and limited antitrust protections to enforce them. It codifies a 2025 court settlement, including a cap that lets schools share up to $21.5 million in revenue with players, plus up to $27.5 million more through a retention fund. Athletes would get one "free" transfer over five years without sitting out, and five years of total eligibility. The bill caps agent fees, guarantees health insurance and scholarships, and requires schools to keep a minimum number of sports and roster spots. "It would be nice if college sports could somehow magically fix itself, but this is a matter of law, federal law, and only Congress can fix it," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who negotiated it with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., disagreed: "This is a bill that essentially ensconces a system of exploitation, and it doesn't fix the broader problems." The Senate rejected Sen. Cory Booker's amendment to cap coaches' salaries at $5 million a year. The House is in recess until after the elections, and lawmakers would have to start over next Congress if both chambers don't pass it by the end of the year. As a lifelong Democrat, credit where it's due: a Texas Republican and a Washington Democrat spent years on this, and 77 votes is what governing looks like. The fair counterpoint is Murphy's, and it deserves an answer. My test is simple: does the athlete on a scholarship come out ahead? Show me that in the House version, and get it done before the clock runs out.