HB 126

"🔴 HB 126 – Gives the NCAA the Power to Override Texas Law. Seriously.

At first glance, HB 126 looks like it’s just updating our rules around student-athletes getting paid for their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Sounds like a modern, pro-athlete move, right?

But the fine print tells a different story.

Here’s what HB 126 actually does:

It says that if there's ever a conflict between Texas law and rules from the NCAA or athletic conferences, then the NCAA wins.

That means schools, athletes, and even the state itself have to follow whatever private rules those groups come up with—no matter how vague, political, or profit-driven they might be.

There’s no state oversight. No public accountability. No backup plan if those organizations go off the rails.

And that’s not all.

HB 126 also:

• Strips away older protections that banned schools from using NIL deals to recruit students
• Blocks families from negotiating NIL deals for under-17 athletes, unless the student is already enrolled (a late Senate addition that could especially hurt rural or low-income families)
• Removes state-level safeguards, replacing them with corporate enforcement from conferences and associations that don’t answer to Texas voters
• Gives schools free rein to align with private rulebooks, but doesn’t require any transparency or reporting back to the public

So who gains from this?

✅ University systems that want less liability and more freedom to broker NIL deals without state interference
✅ NCAA and athletic conferences that now have statutory control over Texas institutions
✅ Lawyers and agents who can now navigate NIL law without much public scrutiny

And who loses?

❌ Student-athletes who get stuck in the middle of conflicting rules
❌ Families trying to plan ahead for college without access to early NIL prep
❌ Texas voters who now have less say over how public universities operate
❌ Local communities whose values can now be overruled by private associations with no public input process

This bill isn't just about paying athletes. It’s about outsourcing lawmaking to private sports organizations and tying the hands of Texas itself.

It sets a dangerous precedent: that if national organizations want to override our laws, we’ll let them.

What happens when that same logic gets applied to education standards, healthcare partnerships, or disaster response?

HB 126 quietly hands the reins to corporate bodies that don’t answer to any of us—and strips our own state of the power to say no.

Quick ask, y’all—likes help the algorithm, but shares are what get the truth out.

If this bill affects you, your kids, your patients, your neighbors—please share it.

Too many Texans don’t know what’s being signed into law. And if we don’t share it, they won’t hear it. These bills move quietly. The consequences don’t.

It’s not about going viral. It’s about making sure the people who need to know—do know.

So if this post made you pause, think, or get fired up… don’t just like it. Send it. Share it. Say something.

🔴 #HB126 #TexasNIL #PublicOversightMatters #WatchTheDetails"