HR2688-119

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting Student Athletes’ Economic Freedom Act of 2025.

2. Employment standings Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal or State law, a student athlete (or former student athlete) may not be considered an employee of an institution, a conference, or an association under any Federal or State law or regulation based on participation of the student athlete (or former student athlete) in a varsity intercollegiate athletics program or a varsity intercollegiate athletics competition, or the existence of rules or requirements for being a member of any varsity sports team.

3. Definitions In this Act: The term association means an organization that— has multiple conferences and institutions as members; arranges championships for varsity intercollegiate athletics programs; sets rules for varsity intercollegiate athletics programs; sets rules for varsity intercollegiate athletics competitions; and is not a conference. The term conference means an organization that— has multiple institutions as members; sets rules for varsity intercollegiate athletics competitions; arranges championships for varsity intercollegiate athletics programs; and is not an association. The term institution means an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) that sponsors a varsity intercollegiate athletics program in the United States. The term student athlete means an individual who participates in a varsity intercollegiate athletics program. The term varsity intercollegiate athletics competition means a competition involving 2 or more varsity intercollegiate athletics programs sponsored by different institutions. The term varsity intercollegiate athletics program means a team or other program unit of an institution participating in a sport— played at the intercollegiate level; administered by an athletic department; and for which eligibility requirements for participation by student athletes are established by an association. The term varsity sports team— means a team of student athletes organized by a varsity intercollegiate athletics program to participate in a varsity intercollegiate athletics competition; and does not include a team that is traditionally characterized as an intramural or club team.