Kentucky’s Senate Bill 3, introduced by Max Wise, aims to modernize Kentucky’s NIL laws for college student-athletes ahead of the NCAA’s myriad anti-trust lawsuits. Wise created the bill to allow colleges and universities to pay student-athletes directly through revenue sharing.
The Senate Republican floor leader’s bill was approved unanimously in its committee vote last Thursday. The bill, which now moves to its next vote, already has the support of athletic directors at the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.
According to Kentucky Lantern, Wise told the Senate Education Committee, “It’s a time for us to act, and it’s a time for us to update to make sure that the Commonwealth of Kentucky and our universities are not left behind when it comes to college athletics.”
Kentucky’s NIL laws were established in 2022, but the new bill would expand the current regulations. Under the new bill, “universities and affiliated athletic organizations could enter direct compensation agreements with student-athletes. Universities could also sublicense a student-athlete’s NIL to third parties, which would allow earning opportunities beyond direct university payments.”
The scope of Kentucky’s NIL laws and new bill would be sweeping, as there are 500 student-athletes at the University of Kentucky alone.
UK’s athletic director, Mitch Barnhart told the Kentucky Lantern, “We do know that this may be one step. It might not be the final step. There may be things that come down the road, as things and conversations happen in Washington, D.C., as things happen on our national landscape and as a new entity of college athletics has been created, there may be things that we have to adjust to, but for now, this is the step that is most necessary for us to be able to continue to move forward with our athletic departments and for all of our young people.”
If Senate Bill 3 is fully approved, Kentucky would join Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia among a few other states in allowing colleges and universities to directly pay student-athletes.
