Governor Glenn Youngkin is considering a bill that allows high school athletes to have more control over their name, image and likeness.
Delegate Cia Price is a Democrat from Newport News who says she's heard horror stories from across the country about high school athletes being exploited. That's why she introduced a bill to give high school students more control over their name, image and likeness.
"And so, when you are 15 or 16, you shouldn't really be exploited in that sense," Price says. "Imagine if Lebron has signed a $20,000 contract when he was in high school in order for that to go into his professional career, where that contract should be $1 million."
The bill passed the House and the Senate with a bipartisan vote. Senator Todd Pillion is a Republican from Washington County who voted in favor of the bill.
"We need to make sure that we’re keeping up with other states and not losing athletes at any level, high school or college," Pillion says.
When asked about whether the governor might sign the bill, Price pointed to a previous veto statement he issued on a different bill saying that he’s interested in students having this right. So, she says, she's hopeful he'll sign the bill.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
