College Athlete Right to Organize Act

This bill lets college athletes act like other workers when it comes to organizing. It says student athletes are “employees” of their schools for labor rights, so they can form a union and bargain over pay, health and safety, schedules, and other conditions. It allows athletes to organize across multiple schools and even at the conference level, not just team by team. Schools can’t make athletes sign away these rights in scholarships or other agreements. These rights would apply at both private and public colleges that compete in interstate sports.

It also says nothing in the bill changes how scholarships or certain direct payments to athletes are treated for taxes or federal financial aid. In short, it doesn’t turn previously non-taxable scholarship aid into taxable income, and it doesn’t change how aid is counted for federal student aid eligibility.

• Who is affected: College athletes at schools that compete in intercollegiate sports, and their colleges/conferences.
• What changes: Athletes can unionize and bargain collectively, including in multi-school units; schools can’t require waivers of these rights.
• Taxes and aid: No new taxes on previously non-taxable athlete compensation; no change to scholarship treatment or federal aid calculations.