Non-Profit Athletics Act

SB 499, the Non-Profit Athletics Act, allows West Virginia public universities to partner with nonprofit corporations to manage college sports programs. The bill authorizes institutions to contract with these nonprofits for operational, financial, and educational support related to athletics, while requiring that university employees control the nonprofit's board of directors. It exempts these athletic-related agreements from standard state procurement rules and allows universities to transfer property (like facilities) to qualifying nonprofits without following typical state property transfer procedures. The law specifically applies to public higher education institutions and their intercollegiate athletics programs, not research or other university activities.