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LB 370

Change provisions of the Nebraska Student-Athlete Name, Image, or Likeness Rights Act

109th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Megan Hunt

Allows Nebraska institutions to directly pay student-athletes NIL compensation and enacts written agreements, protections, and agency standards to modernize and regulate NIL activi

Title printed. Carryover bill
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Bill Summary · LB 370

Summary of Nebraska LB 370 (2025)

Aimed at updating the Nebraska Student-Athlete Name, Image, or Likeness (NIL) Rights Act, LB 370 seeks to modernize protections and freedoms for student-athletes, universities, and NIL-related entities in Nebraska.

Purpose and Intent

  • Modernize Nebraska’s NIL regime to reflect rapid growth in the space.
  • Keep Nebraska student-athletes and universities competitive with other states.
  • codify protections to withstand an evolving NIL landscape.
  • Ensure student-athletes and institutions can engage in NIL activities without punitive restrictions from rules beyond the statute.

Key Provisions and Changes

Direct NIL Compensation by Postsecondary Institutions

  • Allows postsecondary institutions to directly pay student-athletes NIL compensation to maintain competitiveness in recruitment and retention.

Written Athlete Agreements and Protections

  • Requires written agreements when a student-athlete engages in NIL activities or related compensation arrangements.
  • Establishes a 15-day rescission window for student-athletes to cancel an agency or NIL-related agreement without penalty.
  • Prohibits postsecondary institutions from conditioning or penalizing a student-athlete for engaging in NIL activities or for compensation earned from NIL.
  • Prohibits institutions from restricting a student-athlete’s NIL engagements that align with the statute and educational mission.

Athlete Agents and Agency Standards

  • Provides NIL-specific state standards for the role of athlete agents in the absence of a national college athlete agent certification body.
  • Defines “agency agreement” as an agreement between a student-athlete and an athlete agent registered under Nebraska law.
  • Clarifies “professional representation” to include athlete agents, financial advisors, or attorneys.
  • Establishes framework for agency agreements and related professional conduct.

Definitions and Structural Terms

  • Defines terms such as agency agreement, athletic grant-in-aid, collegiate athletic association, compensation, NIL activity, name-image likeness collective, sponsor, third party, postsecondary institution, team contract, and others to harmonize NIL law.
  • Clarifies what constitutes “compensation,” including consideration for use of a student-athlete’s NIL or athletic reputation, with caveats regarding constitutionally protected speech or endorsed arrangements as defined elsewhere in statute.

Protections from Punitive NIL Restrictions

  • Prohibits athletic associations from directly imposing restrictions on, investigating, or punishing student-athletes or universities for NIL activities permitted by statute.
  • Prohibits penalties against postsecondary institutions for students earning or intending to earn NIL compensation.

Who Is Affected

  • Student-athletes and their ability to receive NIL compensation directly from institutions or other entities.
  • Postsecondary institutions and athletic departments.
  • Collegiate athletic associations, conferences, and other governing bodies.
  • NIL collectives, sponsors, and third-party entities involved in NIL activities.
  • Athlete agents, financial advisors, and attorneys involved in NIL transactions.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduced: January 16, 2025.
  • Referred to: Business and Labor Committee.
  • Hearing Notice: March 17, 2025.
  • Status: Bill is under consideration with a scheduled hearing; continued deliberation would determine amendments and potential enactment.
  • Repeal/Conformity: The act would repeal/overwrite previous sections to align with the new framework.

This summary captures the bill’s core aims, substantive provisions, and who/what is impacted, based on the introduced text and accompanying notice.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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