HB 479: Student Athlete Revisions - Utah

Amended 3/3/2025 11:03:464 → Substitute #1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add provisions about student-athlete compensation for name, image, or likeness (NIL) use and to update reporting requirements to the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee instead of the Education Interim Committee. The substitute version also includes technical corrections and conforming changes to ensure consistency across related statutes.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include NIL compensation provisions and shifted reporting oversight from the Education Interim Committee to the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

SCOPE

Added provisions allowing institutions to use certain funds to compensate student athletes directly for the use of their name, image, or likeness.

REQUIREMENT

Changed reporting requirements from the Education Interim Committee to the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee for various reports including abusive coaching policies and student athlete compensation.

Added a requirement for the Board of Higher Education to conduct an audit related to student athlete compensation.

DEFINITION

Added definitions for terms including 'athlete agent', 'athletic entity', 'institution', and 'institutional marketing associate' to clarify compensation and marketing arrangements.

TECHNICAL

Made technical and conforming changes to ensure consistency across related statutes and updated section references.

Amended 2/20/2025 10:02:338 → Amended 3/3/2025 11:03:464 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended to refine definitions of abusive coaching practices and adjust the language around stopping athletic programs when complaints are made. The changes clarify what constitutes abusive coaching and modify how institutions must respond to complaints, including how they describe restoring a safe environment.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on degree-granting institutions in Utah and their policies regarding abusive coaching practices, with no change to who is covered.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'abusive coaching practice' was revised to change 'creates an unsafe or harmful environment' to 'creates an unsafe or a potentially harmful environment', broadening the scope to include potential harm.

The list of examples for abusive coaching practices was modified by removing 'psychological abuse of a student-athlete' and 'failure to act in a manner consistent with the health, safety, and well-being of a student-athlete' as separate items, instead incorporating these concepts into the general definition.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for institutions to stop a program when appropriate was changed from restoring 'a safe environment' to restoring 'an environment that is not harmful', altering the language of the mandate.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and punctuation adjustments were made throughout the text, including changes to how items are listed and some punctuation marks.

Amended Excerpts 3/3/2025 11:03:464 → Amended 2/20/2025 10:02:338 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill revision updates the definition of abusive coaching practices to explicitly include psychological abuse and clarifies the reporting requirements for degree-granting institutions in Utah. The changes strengthen protections for student-athletes by expanding what constitutes abusive behavior and establishing clearer timelines for complaints and investigations.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on degree-granting institutions of higher education, but the definition of prohibited conduct was broadened to include psychological abuse alongside physical and sexual misconduct.

DEFINITION

Changed the definition of 'abusive coaching practice' to explicitly include psychological abuse, making it clearer that mental harm is covered under the policy.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific requirements for institutions to establish complaint procedures, investigation timelines (30 days), and notification processes within 5 business days.

TIMELINE

Set a deadline of November 7, 2025 for institutions to adopt policies addressing abusive coaching practices.

ENFORCEMENT

Strengthened enforcement by requiring immediate program suspension when appropriate to restore a safe environment for student-athletes.

Amended Excerpts 2/20/2025 10:02:338 → Amended Excerpts 3/3/2025 11:03:464 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to clarify definitions of abusive coaching practices and improve formatting consistency. The changes add more specific language about what constitutes an unsafe environment and clarify the scope of psychological abuse. These updates help ensure coaches understand the boundaries of acceptable behavior and provide clearer guidance for institutions addressing harmful conduct.

DEFINITION

Changed the definition of 'abusive coaching practice' to include 'potentially harmful' environments, expanding what counts as abusive behavior beyond just actual harm.

Added specific language about physical contact with student-athletes to clarify that harmful contact is included in abusive practices.

Reorganized the list of abusive conduct items to improve clarity and ensure psychological abuse remains clearly defined.

TECHNICAL

Fixed formatting inconsistencies in line numbering and text presentation throughout the document.

Enrolled → Amended Excerpts 2/20/2025 10:02:338 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill was amended to clarify definitions and strengthen protections against abusive coaching practices in Utah colleges and universities. The changes refine what constitutes an 'abusive coaching practice' to specifically include harmful physical contact and psychological abuse, while removing vague language about general well-being. The bill also updates reporting requirements and maintains provisions for student-athlete compensation for name, image, or likeness use.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on higher education institutions in Utah, but the definitions of abusive coaching practices were narrowed and clarified to be more specific about prohibited conduct.

DEFINITION

Redefined 'abusive coaching practice' to specifically include harmful or offensive physical contact with a student-athlete and psychological abuse, replacing broader language about failing to act in a manner consistent with health and safety.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the timeline for institutions to adopt abusive coaching policies to November 7, 2025, and clarified reporting requirements to the Education Interim Committee.

TECHNICAL

Made formatting and numbering corrections throughout the bill text to align with standard legislative markup conventions.

Introduced → Enrolled · 5 edits · Mar 27, 2025

MODERATE

This bill was substantially revised to add provisions about student athlete compensation for name, image, or likeness rights, while also making technical corrections to existing reporting requirements. The original version focused primarily on abusive coaching policies, but the new version expands the scope to include financial compensation rules and modifies which committees receive institutional reports.

Scope change

The bill now covers both abusive coaching policies and student athlete compensation for name, image, or likeness use, expanding beyond the original coaching-only focus.

SCOPE

Added provisions allowing institutions to use certain funds to compensate student athletes directly for the use of their name, image, or likeness.

REQUIREMENT

Changed reporting requirements from the Education Interim Committee to the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee for various institutional reports.

Removed several specific report requirements that were previously due to the Education Interim Committee, including reports on STEM initiatives, data research, and various state board activities.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'athlete agent', 'athletic entity', 'institution', and 'institutional marketing associate' to support the compensation provisions.

TECHNICAL

Corrected Senate sponsor name from 'LONG TITLE' to 'Michael K. McKell' and updated the bill's general description to reflect the expanded scope.

Student Athlete Revisions

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