Last year, California passed the Student-Athletes’ Bill of Rights, which included a provision that would require universities to provide injured athletes with academic scholarships if their athletic scholarships were lost to injury. The law only applies to universities that receive more than $10 million annually in sports media revenue.
Connecticut State Senator Martin M. Looney has introduced legislation that mirrors the provision of the Student-Athlete’s Bill of Rights mentioned above, and also provides for scholarships for student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility.
Here is the text for Proposed Bill 205:
AN ACT CONCERNING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENT ATHLETES AT PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
That title 10a of the general statutes be amended to require public institutions of higher education receiving, through media rights, revenue in an amount not less than five million dollars per year to use such revenue to provide academic scholarships to student athletes whose athletic scholarships are not renewed due to incapacitating injury or illness resulting from participation in the school athletic program or who have exhausted their National Collegiate Athletic Association athletic eligibility but are still in good academic standing and pursuing a degree.
Statement of Purpose:
To increase graduation rates of student athletes at public institutions of higher education.
Stay tuned for more coverage and analysis of this bill as it works its way through the General Assembly.
This law is a great Idea and for Connecticut to be the second state to pass it, is a great decision. The bill helps injured student athletes with tuition. This should be enacted in all states because when a student-athlete gets injured, most of the time it is because of the sport that they play. They should not be docked their grants because of an injury that happened in result of the sport that they play. It is like a worker not getting paid after injury on a job. Workers receive payment for disability periods and the scholarships should be used in the same manor. This Bill should be enacted in all states.