Bill offers athletes stipend, scholarship

SACRAMENTO, April 8 (UPI) -- Proposed legislation in the California State Assembly would offer student athletes guaranteed full scholarships and a $3,600 stipend, its sponsor said.

The bill, introduced by Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, a San Bernardino Democrat, would apply to any college in the state earning more than $20 million annually in licensing fees when a school's or athlete's name is used for replica jerseys, video games or other products, the Los Angeles Daily News reported Monday.

Introduction of the bill follows last year's passage of the Student-Athlete Bill of Rights, which established similar guarantees. Due to its revenue threshold, it applied only to UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley and Stanford University, the newspaper noted.