The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Meeting the educational needs of student athletes should be a priority for intercollegiate athletic programs.

(b) California’s institutions of higher education that participate in Division I and Division II intercollegiate athletics collectively generate millions of dollars annually in media contracts, and this revenue would not exist without the efforts of student athletes.

(c) Student athletes generate large revenues for many athletic programs, spend approximately 40 hours per week participating in their respective sports, and suffer current and historically low graduation rates.

(d) Providing adequate health and safety protection for student athletes can help prevent serious injury and death.

(e) Current and former student athletes can be left to pay for medical expenses incurred from injuries suffered while participating in intercollegiate athletics.

(f) Institutions of higher education should provide their student athletes with the same due process protection afforded to students who do not participate in athletics.

(g) Athletic programs in this state are subject to federal gender equity requirements under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1681 et seq.).

(h) An institution of higher education should not punish any student athlete for transferring to another institution of higher education.

(i) An institution of higher education should not use funds for purposes of this part that are dedicated for the benefit of the general student body.

(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 625, Sec. 1. (SB 1525) Effective January 1, 2013.)