Legislators in the state of Washington will soon be considering a recently proposed bill that would guarantee scholarships and compensation for collegiate student-athletes.
“I think it is time to take action,” Rep. April Berg who sponsored House Bill 2352, told KOMO News. “I think as states across the country, we need to really step up. Unfortunately, the federal government has not come in to say do the right thing. I think state by state, we're slowly doing it. I wanted Washington state to be a part of that.”
The bill, which is being called the College Athlete Protection Act, aims to compensate student-athletes in revenue-generating sports. The bill, which has bi-partisan support and more than 20 co-sponsors, aims to force Washington's public institutions to set aside up to $25,000 per student-athlete, per academic year for their career after college.
Berg believes the money could be used for medical benefits and allowing student-athletes to complete their college education. The bill would also guarantee student-athletes scholarships through their four-year degree, as opposed tot he year-to-year contracts that most athletes make with universities.
As crafted, HB 2352 would not impact the likes of private schools like Gonzaga or Seattle University and has a sliding scale based on the revenue of the public institutions.
“The UW strongly values the hard work and the educational endeavors of our student-athletes," UW spokesperson Victor Balta told KOMO News when asked about the bill. "Our general approach to policy related to intercollegiate athletics is that it is best handled on a national level rather than by legislation that can vary from one state to another in order to ensure a level playing field across universities. We are in the process of reviewing proposals at the NCAA level to address this issue. We have not yet completed our review of Rep. Berg’s legislation and its potential impact.”
If supported, the bill would take effect in 2025.
