Postsecondary education: Student Athlete Bill of Rights.

Existing law provides for a system of postsecondary education in this state. This system includes 4 segments: the University of California, administered by the Regents of the University of California; the California State University, administered by the Trustees of the California State University; the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges; and independent institutions of higher education. This bill would enact the Student Athlete Bill of Rights, pursuant to which, commencing with the 2013–14 academic year, intercollegiate athletic programs at 4-year institutions of higher education in the state, as defined, that receive, as an average, $10,000,000 or more in annual revenue derived from media rights, as defined, for intercollegiate athletics, would be required to comply with prescribed requirements. Among other things, the bill would require the institution of higher education to provide an equivalent scholarship, as prescribed, to a student athlete, as defined, if an athletic program, as defined, does not renew the athletic scholarship of a student athlete who suffers an incapacitating injury or illness resulting from his or her participation in the athletic program, and the institution's medical staff determines that the student athlete is medically ineligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics, or if a student athlete on an athletic scholarship and in good standing exhausts his or her athletic eligibility, except for specified athletic programs. The bill would also require that athletic programs that receive, as an average, $10,000,000 or more in annual revenue derived from media rights for intercollegiate athletics be responsible for paying the premiums of each of its student athletes whose household has an income and asset level that does not exceed the level for Cal Grant A recipients, as specified, for insurance covering claims resulting from their participation in the athletic program, unless the student athlete declines the payment of premiums. The bill would provide that the athletic program would be responsible for paying the insurance deductible amount applicable to the claim of any student athlete who suffers an injury resulting from his or her participation in the athletic program and makes a claim relating to that injury. The bill would require the athletic program to provide, to a student athlete who suffers an injury resulting from participation in the athletic program and requires ongoing medical treatment, either the necessary medical treatment or health insurance that covers the injury and the resulting deductible amounts. These provisions would not apply to preexisting medical conditions that predated the student athlete's participation in the athletic program. The bill would require that the institutions of higher education to which these provisions relating to equivalent scholarships and insurance coverage apply would rely exclusively on revenue derived from media rights for intercollegiate athletics to defray any costs accrued under these provisions. These provisions would become inoperative on January 1, 2021.