The Senate Votes 74-24 to Take Up the Cruz-Cantwell College Sports Bill — Cruz Calls It "a Bipartisan Solution Designed to Bring Order to the Chaos," While Chris Murphy Says "What This Bill Does at Its Core Is to Protect a System of Exploitation" and All Four Black Democratic Senators Vote No
On Sept. 15, 2026, the Senate voted 74-24 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668), written by Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and backed by the NCAA. The bill would write national rules for college athletics into law: revenue sharing with players capped at 22% of athletic department revenue, one penalty-free transfer, a five-year eligibility window, pooled conference media rights, a cap on agent fees and limited antitrust protection for the NCAA and conferences. The 24 no votes came from 20 Democrats and four Republicans — Ashley Moody, Rand Paul, Rick Scott and Tommy Tuberville. All four Black Democratic senators — Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks — voted no; the NAACP, the AFL-CIO and the Congressional Black Caucus oppose the bill, arguing it caps what largely Black football and basketball players can earn while leaving coaches' pay untouched. The Senate continued debate on Sept. 16; if the bill passes, it goes to the House. On Sept. 28, 2026, the Senate passed the bill 77-22 after rejecting two amendments from Cory Booker (D-N.J.), 49-50 and 47-52, including one that would have applied the bill's rules to coaches' pay. The bill now goes to the House, which has left town until after the midterm elections.
“We're not turning back the clock, and whether you loved or hated the old system, we shouldn't try. The problem is that college sports entered this new era without a stable framework to govern it.”