FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2021
Contact: Joaquin Romero
(505) 506-5798
Senator Mark Moores’ Student Athlete Endorsement Legislation Signed Into Law
SANTA FE – This week, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the “Student Athlete Endorsement Act” into law. Senate Bill 94, sponsored by Senator Mark Moores (R-Bernalillo), Senator Bill O’Neill (D-Bernalillo), and Representative Antonio Maestas (D-Bernalillo), would allow intercollegiate student athletes at New Mexico’s post-secondary educational institutions to receive compensation from the branding of their name, image, or likeness.
“Our student athletes deserve the opportunity to have their hustle pay off,” said Senator Moores, a former University of New Mexico football player. “While our universities offer as many scholarships as they can, many student athletes are left on the hook to train, study, and pay their own way through college. This legislation gives all student athletes the opportunity to be recognized and properly compensated for their talent, skills, training, and hard work.”
In 2019, the State of California enacted the nation’s first law to provide compensation for student athletes. Current regulations from the National Collegiate College Association (NCAA) do not allow student athletes to receive compensation beyond the cost of attending school. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, is currently considering a case to decide whether the NCAA's prohibition on compensation for college athletes violates federal antitrust law.
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