HB383: HB383 Georgia High School NIL Protection Act; enact

Currently Georgia law does not clearly address whether high school athletes can be paid for endorsements the way college athletes can. This bill, the Georgia High School NIL Protection Act, creates a new legal framework letting student athletes at public and private high schools receive name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation, while putting up guardrails. Schools, booster groups, and their staff cannot pay athletes to attend or perform for the school, and athletes cannot be paid to switch schools. Athletes with NIL deals cannot wear school gear or reference their school or an athletic association while doing paid endorsement work, and cannot promote alcohol, tobacco, vaping, cannabis, gambling, weapons, adult content, or other age restricted products. NIL contracts automatically end shortly after a student graduates or leaves the school. Athletic associations cannot punish athletes or schools over NIL deals. The bill also updates Georgia's child labor law to formally cover minors compensated for use of their name, image, or likeness. It would take effect once signed by the Governor and apply to contracts made on or after that date.

• Creates a new legal framework in Georgia's education code allowing high school student athletes to receive compensation for use of their name, image, or likeness (NIL).
• Bans schools, booster organizations, and their staff from paying athletes to attend or perform at a particular school, sometimes called 'pay for play.'
• Prohibits athletes with NIL deals from wearing school gear, referencing their school, or endorsing certain products like alcohol, tobacco, vaping, cannabis, gambling, and weapons.
• Automatically ends NIL contracts within 10 days of graduation or 30 days of leaving the school for any reason.
• Bars athletic associations from punishing athletes or schools for participating in NIL deals, and requires their governing rules to comply with the new law.
• Amends Georgia's child labor law (O.C.G.A. § 39-2-18) to add name, image, and likeness compensation to the categories of minors' work requiring the Commissioner of Labor's written consent.

High school student athletes and prospective student athletes in Georgia, their parents, public and private high schools, athletic associations that govern interscholastic sports, athlete agents and attorneys who represent athletes, and the state Department of Labor, which must approve certain compensation arrangements for minors.

Georgia high schoolers would gain a clear legal path to earn money from endorsements, similar to college athletes, but with restrictions meant to prevent schools from using payments to recruit or retain players and to keep athletes from promoting products like alcohol or gambling.

• Section 2 adds a new Article 32A to Title 20 defining key terms like 'NIL compensation,' 'athletic association,' 'participating school,' and 'student athlete,' including home study and eighth grade students in some cases.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2105.3 permits NIL compensation but bans pay-for-attendance deals and bars schools or boosters from paying athletes directly.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2105.3(d)-(e) bars athletes from wearing school gear or referencing their school while doing paid endorsements and prohibits endorsing alcohol, tobacco, vaping, cannabis, gambling, weapons, and other restricted products.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2105.4 requires participating schools to give each student athlete written notice at the start of each season about these NIL rules and how outside compensation could affect future college eligibility.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2105.6 makes NIL contracts automatically expire 10 days after graduation or 30 days after a student's enrollment ends, voiding any contract terms that try to extend beyond that.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2105.7 prohibits athletic associations from penalizing athletes or schools over NIL compensation and requires association rules to comply with the new article for public schools to participate.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2105.8 allows student athletes to hire agents or lawyers for NIL matters and requires agents to follow the federal Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act.
• Section 3 revises Georgia's child labor law (O.C.G.A. § 39-2-18) to require Commissioner of Labor approval for minors compensated for use of their name, image, or likeness, alongside existing categories like acting and modeling.

1. 2026-02-12Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-11House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
3. 2026-02-11House Third Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-06House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
5. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
6. 2025-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
7. 2025-02-13House Second Readers (House)
8. 2025-02-12House First Readers (House)

• Brent Cox (R, HD-028)Primary sponsor
• Trey Rhodes (R, HD-124)
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
• Chris Erwin (R, HD-032)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 11, 2026

   169 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #501

• high school sports
• name image and likeness
• student athletes
• child labor law
• school athletics regulation