Alaska senators back 70-21 cloture on college sports substitute

The Senate voted 70-21 Tuesday to limit debate on a substitute amendment to the Protect College Sports Act, advancing the measure without giving it final passage. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan both voted yes. It was their second vote in a week to move the bill forward, after they joined a 77-22 vote Sept. 17 to take up the underlying measure, S. 4668.

Alaska has no state law governing student-athlete pay. The bill would set federal rules instead, covering name, image and likeness compensation, scholarship protections, medical coverage, and transfer and eligibility rules for athletes at the University of Alaska Anchorage and University of Alaska Fairbanks. It contains no Alaska-specific provision.

The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the bill with a Cruz-Cantwell-Schmitt substitute. Committee Chairman Jamie Cruz called it a compromise. "No one got everything they wanted, but we did create a framework that stabilizes college athletics in the NIL and revenue-sharing era," Cruz said. The AFL-CIO and Sen. Chris Murphy oppose the measure, favoring collective bargaining for athletes instead.