College Athlete Right to Organize Act

The College Athlete Right to Organize Act (S 2469) would recognize college athletes receiving athletic scholarships as employees under federal labor law, granting them the right to form unions and negotiate collectively with their schools and athletic conferences. It defines a "college athlete employee" as any student participating in intercollegiate sports who receives direct financial aid (like a scholarship) for that participation, and establishes multiemployer bargaining units allowing athletes across competing schools in the same conference to collectively bargain. The bill prohibits schools from requiring athletes to waive these rights in scholarship agreements and clarifies that the law does not change how athletic scholarships are taxed or affect eligibility for federal student aid.