The Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act 77–22, creating a national framework for name, image and likeness compensation while explicitly preserving college athletes’ status as students rather than employees. The bill also limits conference breakaways, adds protections against predatory agents and sets federal rules around athlete compensation that would override the current patchwork of state laws. The House will not take it up until after the midterm elections, so the legislation is not final yet. But the Senate vote shows how quickly college athletics is moving from NCAA self-regulation toward federal rulemaking, with Congress increasingly determining the boundaries of athlete pay, transfers and institutional control. The Senate Commerce Committee details the legislation and the bipartisan vote here.