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SB 482MONTANASession 2025State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Montana requires written contracts for college athlete name, image, and likeness deals

Original title: Revise contract laws relating to student athletes

Last action · May 8, 2025: Chapter Number AssignedSponsor: Ellie Boldman

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Montana law now requires all agreements related to a college athlete's name, image, and likeness rights to be in writing, effective June 1, 2025. The measure protects student-athletes from being penalized by colleges or athletic associations for earning outside compensation, while establishing clear disclosure rules and contract standards.

Why it matters

College athletes attending public or private institutions in Montana gain legally protected rights to sign compensation contracts and retain professional representation without facing athletic penalties, provided their agreements do not conflict with team rules or university contracts during official team activities.

Background
  • State legislatures across the country have enacted or revised laws to address name, image, and likeness rights for college student-athletes following evolving collegiate athletic policies. context

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Student-athletes

Student-athletes gain legal protections to earn outside compensation and retain professional representation without facing athletic penalties, but must disclose contracts to their institutions.

Directly affected

Postsecondary institutions

Colleges and universities must accept student-athlete outside compensation rights, disclose any rules claimed to conflict with student contracts, and follow new written contract requirements.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my college stop me from earning money for my name, image, and likeness?
No. s and athletic organizations cannot prohibit, prevent, restrict, or penalize student-athletes from earning compensation for their name, image, or likeness, provided it does not conflict with team rules or institutional contracts during official team activities.
Do I have to tell my university if I sign a compensation contract?
Yes. A student-athlete who enters into a compensation contract for name, image, or likeness must disclose the contract to a official if they are currently a team member or when they seek to become a team member.

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News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

39 actions
  1. May 8, 2025Senate
    Chapter Number Assigned
  2. May 5, 2025SenateEnrolled
    (S) Signed by Governor
  3. Apr 25, 2025Senate
    (S) Transmitted to Governor
  4. Apr 25, 2025House
    (H) Signed by Speaker
  5. Apr 21, 2025Senate
    (S) Signed by President
  6. Apr 13, 2025Senate
    (S) Returned from Enrolling
Show 33 earlier actions
  1. Apr 11, 2025Senate
    (S) Sent to Enrolling
  2. Apr 11, 2025House
    (H) 3rd Reading
  3. Apr 11, 2025House
    (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
  4. Apr 10, 2025House
    (H) 2nd Reading
  5. Apr 10, 2025House
    (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
  6. Apr 8, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Committee Report
  7. Apr 7, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Committee Executive Action
  8. Apr 6, 2025House
    (H) Hearing
  9. Mar 17, 2025House
    (H) 1st Reading
  10. Mar 17, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Referred to Committee
  11. Mar 7, 2025Senate
    (S) Transmitted to House
  12. Mar 6, 2025Senate
    (S) 3rd Reading
  13. Mar 6, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
  14. Mar 6, 2025Senate
    (S) 2nd Reading
  15. Mar 6, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
  16. Mar 3, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Report
  17. Mar 1, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Printed
  18. Feb 28, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Unsigned
  19. Feb 28, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Received
  20. Feb 27, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Executive Action
  21. Feb 26, 2025Senate
    (S) Hearing
  22. Feb 26, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Referred to Committee
  23. Feb 25, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Requested
  24. Feb 25, 2025Senate
    (S) 1st Reading
  25. Feb 25, 2025SenateIntroduced
    (S) Introduced
  26. Feb 25, 2025House
    (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
  27. Feb 24, 2025House
    (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
  28. Feb 24, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Assembly
  29. Feb 23, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
  30. Feb 22, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
  31. Feb 17, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Edit
  32. Feb 16, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Legal Review
  33. Nov 29, 2024House
    (LC) Drafter Assigned

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Ellie BoldmanSenate · District 47DemocraticPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Formalization of College Athlete Contracts

Montana statutory contract requirements are formally expanded to mandate that all name, image, and likeness agreements for college athletes must be in writing to be valid.

Connected Entities

S. Fitzpatrick, Ellie Boldman
PersonS. Fitzpatrick“Bill co-sponsor”Map →
PersonEllie Boldman“Democratic Senator representing District 47 and primary bill sponsor”Map →

Sources

Open source document

bills.legmt.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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