The Student Athlete Bill of Rights, which took effect for the 2013-2014 academic year, provides certain benefits to student athletes at four-year private universities located in California, that maintain intercollegiate athletic programs. These benefits include certain protections for athletic scholarships. Under existing law, private universities that receive as an average, less than $10,000,000 in annual income derived from media rights for intercollegiate athletics are exempt from the requirements to grant these benefits. Existing law requires private universities that are required to grant these benefits to student athletes to rely exclusively on revenue derived from media rights for intercollegiate athletics to defray any costs incurred from granting these benefits to student athletes.
Effective January 1, 2024, Senate Bill 661 (SB 661) expands the law to grant these benefits to student athletes who attend four-year private universities that receive, as an average, less than $10,000,000 in annual income derived from media rights for intercollegiate athletics, provided that the student athlete participates in an intercollegiate athletic program whose team does not compete in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
SB 661 also removes the requirement that private universities rely exclusively on revenue derived from media rights for intercollegiate athletics to defray any costs incurred from affording these benefits to student athletes.
(SB 661 amends Section 67452 of the Education Code.)