Tennessee becomes 15th state to pass NIL bill

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Add Tennessee to the growing list of states to pass legislation allowing college athletes to earn money off their name, image, and likeness.

Last night, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed House Bill 1351, which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2022. Tennessee is the 15th state to pass an NIL bill, joining Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina in the SEC. Here’s a rundown from ESPN of the states with NIL laws now in place (12 more states have bills in legislative process):

Alabama — Passed: April 2021. Goes into effect: July 1, 2021.
Arizona — Passed: March 2021. Goes into effect: July 23, 2021.
Arkansas – Passed: April 2021. Goes into effect: Jan. 1, 2022.
California — Passed: September 2019. Goes into effect: Jan. 1, 2023.
Colorado — Passed: March 2020. Goes into effect: Jan. 1, 2023.
Florida — Passed: June 2020. Goes into effect: July 1, 2021.
Georgia — Passed: May 2021. Goes into effect: July 1, 2021.
Michigan — Passed: December 2020. Goes into effect: Dec. 31, 2022.
Mississippi — Passed: April 2021. Goes into effect: July 1, 2021.
Montana — Passed: April 2021. Goes into effect: June 1, 2023.
Nebraska — Passed: July 2020. Goes into effect: No later than July 1, 2023 (schools can implement new policy at any time).
New Jersey — Passed: September 2020. Goes into effect: September 2025.
New Mexico — Passed: April 2021. Goes into effect: July 1, 2021.
South Carolina — Passed: May 2021. Goes into effect: July 1, 2022.
Tennessee — Passed: May 2021. Effective date: Jan. 1, 2022.

Last Saturday, Mark Emmert told the New York Times he will push the NCAA to pass its own NIL rules “before, or as close to, July 1,” when the new laws are set to be rolled out.

Clock’s ticking.

UPDATE: The bill will go into effect Jan. 1, 2022, not July 1, 2021.

Correction: I spoke with TN legislative staff and the above was caption bill amdt (still listed on site as HB1351 bill), but amendment replacing bill is listed as Jan 1, 2022. Apologize for any confusion – it is Jan 1, 2022 effective date. TN public chapter post soon to confirm

— Julie Sommer (@JulieRSommer) May 12, 2021