Ohio State Sen. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) announced Monday that he will introduce legislation that would allow college athletes to make a profit off of their name, image and likeness. Credit: Columbus Dispatch file photo via TNS
Ohio’s name, image and likeness bill passed the Ohio House of Representatives Thursday with an unexpected stipulation.
After passing the Ohio Senate in a unanimous vote June 16, SB-187 was brought to the House floor Thursday, where an amendment was added regarding transgender athletes’ participation in youth and high school sports. Ohio Sen. Niraj Antani’s (R-Miamisburg) goal is for the bill to take effect by July 1, on par with seven other states.
The amendment, introduced by Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum), would prohibit transgender women from competing on women’s sports teams and would force them to join men’s or coed teams. After a heated debate, the amendment was added to the bill in a 54-40 vote.
Following the addition to the amendment, the bill passed in a 56-37 vote. The bill will now return to the Ohio Senate to vote on the added amendment.
The bill previously carried bipartisan support, however the added amendment has now split it down party lines with some Democrats voting against, putting Antani’s target date in jeopardy.
“I continue to strongly pursue legislation to ensure student athletes receive, in law, their rights to their own name, image and likeness by the July 1, 2021 deadline,” Antani said in a tweet Thursday. “I’m optimistic in my prospects and I will continue to work hard to get this done for our student athletes.”
Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson said the university supports the prior version of the bill, which did not include the transgender athlete amendment.
“Ohio State supports a clean name, image, and likeness bill, like the bill passed by the Ohio Senate, which will support all student athletes across Ohio,” Johnson said.
This story was updated Thursday, June 24 at 9:01 p.m. with a comment from Ohio State.
