Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Thursday allowing student athletes at Georgia colleges, universities and technical colleges to receive compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness.“I believe it sets Georgia on the path to accomplish something that quite honestly should have been done a long time ago,” Kemp said during a bill-signing ceremony at UGA Thursday.
“Thanks to [the bill], student athletes from across the country will have Georgia on their mind when they’re looking for a campus and a university that can give them a world-class education but also the chance to compete at the highest levels of college athletics.”
Under the bill, college athletes in Georgia will be required to take five hours of a financial literacy and life skills workshop to ready them for the added burdens of receiving compensation for sports performance.
The Georgia bill will go in to affect July 1st. South Carolina has a similar bill awaiting the signature of Governor McMcaster. That bill can not go in to affect until next July.