The U.S. Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act by a 77-22 vote on Monday, Sept. 28. The bipartisan bill would set new federal rules on athlete payments and transfers affecting Oakland University and other Division I programs.

The legislation, co-authored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), would cap school revenue sharing with athletes at $21.5 million per year and limit players to one free transfer over five years. It now heads to the House, which is in recess until Monday, Nov. 9, after midterm elections.

It marks the first time either chamber of Congress has approved sweeping federal legislation governing college athletics, CBS Sports reported.

On the same day the Senate voted, Oakland announced a long-term multimedia rights partnership with Van Wagner, a firm that will lead the Golden Grizzlies' corporate partnerships and sponsorship sales. Athletics Director Steve Waterfield said the deal positions Oakland to leverage its multimedia rights "in the current, future, and changing landscape of college athletics," according to a university announcement.

The Senate bill would codify a 2025 court settlement that allowed colleges to pay players directly for their name, image and likeness (NIL). Football roster payrolls at some schools can exceed $40 million since that settlement, according to an Associated Press report published by ClickOnDetroit.

Under the legislation, schools could share up to $21.5 million in base revenue with athletes. The bill would create a $22.5 million retention fund that could grow to $27.5 million under certain conditions.

The bill also caps agent fees at 5%, provides health coverage protections and scholarship guarantees, and requires schools to maintain a minimum number of sports and roster spots.

Players would generally get one transfer without sitting out a season. Additional transfers would require sitting out a year, with exceptions including graduate study, a sport being discontinued, a head coach leaving or sexual assault or harassment.

"It would be nice if college sports could somehow magically fix itself, but this is a matter of law, federal law, and only Congress can fix it," Cruz said on the Senate floor.

Not everyone agreed. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called the legislation a system that "essentially ensconces a system of exploitation." Murphy argued it caps athletes' revenue share while placing no limits on coaches' salaries or donations to athletic programs. The NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus and AFL-CIO also opposed the bill, in part because it does not resolve whether athletes should be classified as employees.

The bill faces an uncertain path in the House. Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects it won't be considered until after midterm elections, according to CBS Sports. Some House Republicans want language explicitly stating athletes are not employees. If both chambers do not pass the bill before the new Congress convenes in January, lawmakers would have to start over.

Oakland announced the Van Wagner partnership the same day as the Senate vote. Waterfield said the agreement would help the university leverage its multimedia rights in the “current, future, and changing landscape of college athletics.”