{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-introduces-collegiate-sports-integrity-act/", "Dr. Rand Paul Introduces Collegiate Sports Integrity Act", "2025-06-24", "2025", "2025-06", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nJune 24th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-434\n\nDr. Rand Paul Introduces the Collegiate Sports Integrity Act\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the Collegiate Sports Integrity Act, legislation to restore free-market principles to college athletics by exempting intercollegiate athletic conferences, associations, and participating schools from federal antitrust laws.\n\nAntitrust laws have empowered judges\u2014not students, not schools\u2014to dictate the rules of college sports. This bill puts decision-making back where it belongs: in the hands of the people directly involved. By removing these restrictions, the Collegiate Sports Integrity Act allows schools and student-athletes to voluntarily negotiate fair, flexible agreements that reflect their own values\u2014not a federal mandate.\n\n\u201cThis is about economic liberty,\u201d said Dr. Rand Paul. \u201cCollege athletes and schools should be free to come to the table and make their own deals\u2014without unelected judges micromanaging every detail. Whether it\u2019s compensation, eligibility, or academic standards, Washington shouldn\u2019t be calling the plays.\u201d\n\nThe Collegiate Sports Integrity Act explicitly exempts intercollegiate athletic conferences, interstate athletic associations, and the colleges competing in them from antitrust liability. This ensures that evolving athletic models\u2014regardless of structure\u2014remain protected and governed by voluntary agreement, not courtroom fiat.\n\nThe legislation comes amid growing legal uncertainty following a wave of rulings, including a December 2024 decision striking down NCAA eligibility rules and a June 2025 settlement opening the door to direct payments to athletes. Rather than allowing a patchwork of court-imposed mandates, the bill reasserts the primacy of freedom of contract in higher education athletics.\n\nRead the bill HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:34:38Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-introduces-collegiate-sports-integrity-act/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.250765984877944, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}