Senate negotiators met on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, to address challenging differences with leaders of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Big Ten Conferences regarding revisions to a bill intended to regulate college sports. The bill's sponsors, including Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), are pushing to bring the Protect College Sports Act to a vote before the Senate breaks for summer recess next week.

Key concessions in the ongoing negotiations include the establishment of a $20 million-plus "retention pool" that schools could use to retain players, effectively doubling the current revenue-sharing "salary cap," which stands at $21.3 million for the current school year. Other negotiation topics involve adding flexibility to the requirements for how many Olympic and women's sports programs schools must maintain and relaxing restrictions on conference expansion to permit leagues to grow to as many as 19 teams.

Jeffrey Kessler, the plaintiffs' attorney involved in related litigation, stated he would need to review the bill's language before determining its impact on the settlement.

Senators plan to return for the second half of September before breaking for October, leaving limited time to pass the bill before the November midterm elections. "Those conversations are ongoing," said one of the bill's sponsors regarding the negotiations.

Sources