February 4, 2021 | less than a minute read

Iowa Becomes Latest State to Introduce Athlete NIL Bill

Taylor English

State senators from Iowa introduced legislation to govern name, image and likeness in college sports. Iowa's bill would kick in on July 1. This would match the earliest effective date of any state bill.... Florida’s state NIL law, which passed last year, goes into effect the same day. California passed the first state bill in 2019 (currently effective 2023, but possibly sooner). Five more states have since passed their own legislation. At least 35 states are in various stages of considering or passing legislation. This is clearly a trend. Given the uncertainty regarding NCAA or federal legislation being passed before July 1, no one wants to be left behind.

“Now that we’re seeing multiple states moving ahead, we want to make sure no Iowa athlete is left behind,” says the bill’s author, Sen. Nate Boulton, a Democrat representing Iowa’s 16th District, which includes the capital of Des Moines. “The climate is becoming favorable to getting these passed in the states. Frankly, the NCAA’s failure to address this has forced states to step up.”