Bill > A3253

Introduced Session

This bill requires public institutions of higher education to provide a student-athlete, whose athletic scholarship is not renewed because of injuries sustained while participating in the athletic program, with a scholarship that is equivalent to the athletic scholarship. Under the bill, the equivalent scholarship, combined with the total duration of any previous athletic scholarship or scholarships received by the student-athlete, will be provided for a total of five academic years or until the student-athlete completes his undergraduate degree, whichever period is shorter. However, an institution may, at its discretion, provide an equivalent scholarship for additional academic years. Intercollegiate athletics is a multi-billion dollar industry, and each year student-athletes help to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their schools. However, many colleges provide one-year, renewable athletic scholarships, and a student-athlete who sustains an incapacitating injury or illness faces the possibility of not having his scholarship renewed by the school. As a result, many student-athletes who lose their athletic scholarships find it difficult to afford the ever-increasing costs of attending college. This bill seeks to rectify that injustice by requiring public institutions of higher education to provide student-athletes who lose athletic scholarships because of injuries sustained while participating in the athletic program with scholarships that are equivalent to the athletic scholarships.

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Adam Taliaferro (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee (on 02/12/2018)