Senate Commerce Committee

The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously advanced the Kids Online Safety Act, which mandates online platforms prioritize children's safety and includes a 'duty of care' provision. The bill, led by Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal, contrasts with a separate House measure and excludes an age verification component due to lack of quorum.

Sen. Ted Cruz asserts the Protect College Sports Act includes a hard $48.8 million cap to limit third-party NIL payments, but the SEC and Big Ten conferences remain unconvinced. The bill combines a $21.3 million salary cap with a $27.5 million retention pool, though negotiations stalled as the Senate recessed. Key disputes involve defining 'open market' deals and concerns over conflicting with existing revenue-sharing settlements.

Congress is advancing bipartisan legislation to protect children online, with the House passing the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act in June 2024 and the Senate preparing to debate the stronger Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The article highlights resistance from Big Tech, which has sued states like Minnesota over similar laws and promotes voluntary safety standards as ineffective solutions.

Efforts to pass the Protect College Sports Act, aimed at regulating college athletics, face significant opposition from major conferences like the Big Ten and SEC over media rights and antitrust provisions. The bill, which advanced from the Senate Commerce Committee, is stalled as universities demand changes, particularly regarding a provision allowing joint media rights negotiation, which powerful conferences argue would undermine their financial advantages.

Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz postponed a markup of AI bills to September, shifting focus to kids' online safety legislation. The delay is due to unresolved bipartisan agreement on AI legislation, with the committee instead advancing the Kids Online Safety Act led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn.

Mercedes-Benz faces a potential ban on selling connected vehicles in the US under legislation targeting automakers with significant ownership ties to China. The Senate Commerce Committee advanced a measure that would bar the sale of such vehicles by companies with more than 15% ownership by Chinese entities.

The Senate Commerce Committee's bipartisan leaders, Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), have revised the Protect College Sports Act to address concerns from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences. The updated bill includes legal protections for schools, a $20 million athlete retention fund, and concessions on media rights pooling, but key demands like excluding postseason tournaments from media pooling and removing merger restrictions remain unresolved. The conferences have until 9 a.m. Wednesday to decide on supporting the bill.

A coalition of 60 child safety groups urged Senate Commerce Committee leaders to prioritize robust online safety legislation requiring tech companies to mitigate known harms to children. They criticized the House's recent bill for lacking a 'duty of care' standard and called for state AI laws to remain unpreempted. Sen. Andy Kim introduced a bill modeled after a California law to ensure age-appropriate content for children.

Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz is delaying the AI and kids online safety markup from July 29 to the week of August 3. The committee is seeking input on legislation and aims to publish an advisory a week before the markup as required by Senate rules.

President Donald Trump met with Senators Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn to discuss tech policy. Cruz, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, is preparing a markup on kids’ online safety and AI bills. Blackburn has negotiated with the White House on a legislative package focused on children’s digital safety, including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which Meta has conditionally supported.

Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell are working to gain support from the Big Ten and SEC conferences for a legislative proposal to establish national rules for college athletics. The bill aims to create regulations for athletes, coaches, and media rights but faces skepticism from the conferences over litigation risks and antitrust protections. Cruz seeks to finalize the deal before the college sports season begins in late August.

Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell are working to finalize a bipartisan college sports bill ahead of a potential July Senate vote. The bill aims to establish federal rules for college athletics, including transfer policies and coach recruitment restrictions, but faces challenges in securing consensus due to concerns from universities, conferences, and lawmakers about liability and media rights provisions.

Sen. Ted Cruz, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, is convening a markup for AI legislation but has provided limited details about his criteria or priorities. While emphasizing bipartisan consensus, Cruz's staff acknowledges uncertainty about which bills will advance, and his past opposition to broad AI regulation contrasts with his current role in shaping federal oversight.

The Senate Commerce Committee approved a bipartisan bill to reform college sports by establishing a nationwide payout framework for athlete compensation and restricting transfers between schools. The legislation aims to address NIL (name, image, likeness) deals and prevent major programs from outbidding smaller schools for top athletes.

The Senate is advancing legislation to address name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and transfer rules in college sports. A bipartisan bill proposed by the Commerce Committee aims to establish a national payout framework and limit athlete transfers to one per five years. Key senators include Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell, and John Hickenlooper, while Cory Booker and Tommy Tuberville oppose the measure.

A bipartisan bill called the Protect College Sports Act faces a Senate committee test, aiming to regulate player payments, limit transfers, and restrict coach job changes. The bill has support from some athletic conferences, the NFL, and the Olympic committee but lacks endorsement from the SEC and Big Ten. Political divisions and potential amendments remain as the Senate Commerce Committee debates the legislation.

A bipartisan bill aimed at regulating college sports, including player payments and coach job changes, faces a Senate committee test after weeks of revisions. The Protect College Sports Act has garnered support from some athletic conferences and the Olympic committee but lacks endorsement from major conferences like the SEC and Big Ten. Congressional support remains divided, with key Democrats undecided and some Republicans opposing the measure.

A coalition including Mike Pence’s Advancing American Freedom and groups like R Street Institute and NetChoice is urging Senate Commerce Committee leaders to exclude kids’ online safety measures from a national AI framework. The groups argue the proposed bills, such as the Kids Online Safety Act and App Store Accountability Act, risk violating free speech and privacy, with concerns over age verification requirements and data security.

The Trump administration imposed an export ban on Anthropic's AI models Fable 5 and Mythos 5 over cybersecurity concerns, prompting Congress to reconsider AI regulation. Lawmakers expressed surprise and sought clarity on the decision, with bipartisan discussions on potential legislation to establish oversight, though partisan divides and executive branch dominance complicate consensus.

Nick Saban testified in support of a bipartisan bill to regulate college sports, including athlete payments and transfer limits. The SEC and Big Ten oppose the bill, arguing it leaves critical issues unresolved. The legislation faces Senate gridlock and mixed reactions from lawmakers.

Nick Saban testified in support of a bipartisan college sports bill introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell, which aims to regulate athlete payments and limit free transfers. The SEC and Big Ten oppose the bill, arguing it fails to resolve critical issues, while some senators express concerns over aspects like gender in sports and potential conference realignments.

Nick Saban and college sports figures testified in support of a bipartisan bill to regulate athlete payments, limit free transfers, and restrict mid-season coach departures. The Senate Commerce Committee pushed the legislation, but the SEC and Big Ten opposed it, claiming unresolved issues. The bill aims to restore competition by ensuring success is tied to university team-building rather than financial resources.

Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced a bipartisan bill, the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), to regulate college sports by limiting player transfers, restricting coach movement, and establishing NIL payment rules. The bill combines elements from previous proposals (SCORE and SAFE) and aims to address instability in college sports, including rising player costs and chaotic transfer portals.

The Republican Congress faces mounting challenges before midterms, including a contentious immigration enforcement bill, time constraints due to limited legislative sessions, and urgent deadlines for extending surveillance powers and avoiding a government shutdown. Additional issues include negotiations on cryptocurrency, housing, insulin pricing, and college sports reforms, alongside stalled transportation and farm bills.

U.S. senators are considering federal legislation to regulate prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, following a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on the risks and potential for insider trading. While industry representatives argue these platforms are already regulated by the CFTC, gambling associations contend they operate without proper oversight and harm states and tribes.

Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell are leading negotiations on a college athletics bill to regulate athlete compensation through name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules, after House efforts failed. The bipartisan effort aims to create a unified federal framework to replace conflicting state laws, with pressure from President Trump and sports officials to pass legislation.

Ted Cruz is supporting the Kids Online Safety Act, a social media accountability bill. Cruz pledged to advance the bill out of committee during a kids digital safety rally. The support gives the legislation a key boost in the upper chamber.