Louisiana requires NIL adviser registration

Louisiana has put two new layers of oversight around the fast-growing market for athlete advisers, agents and NIL representatives. Senate Bill 389, signed June 9 as Act 895, rewrote parts of the state’s athlete-agent law and shifted registration to the public protection division of the Department of Justice. House Bill 513, signed June 8 as Act 810, adds name, image and likeness rules for high school athletes and takes effect August 1. The result is a more formal system for anyone offering paid help to student-athletes in Louisiana. The laws do not ban representation. They require families to distinguish between a registered professional, a marketer or adviser, and an unverified operator making promises in a market that now includes both college and high school athletes. (legis.la.gov) ### Which Louisiana law actually requires registration? Senate Bill 389 is the registration law. The bill became Act 895 on June 9, 2026, and the Legislature’s fiscal note says it updates licensing and regulation of athlete agents, extends coverage beyond professional-athlete recruiting to college and high school students, and requires agents to register with the Department of Justice. (legis.la.gov) Louisiana’s revised agent statute says an athlete agent must register with the state before contacting an athlete. The law’s definitions now cover students eligible for junior high, high school or intercollegiate sports in Louisiana, and the purpose section says the state is regulating people acting in a representative, advisory or managerial capacity for professional, endorsement or commercial opportunities. (legis.la.gov) ### Who counts as an “athlete agent” or adviser here? Louisiana law still uses the term “athlete agent” in the operative registration section, but the statute’s purpose language is broader than the old model. It now refers to athlete agents and other people acting in a representative, advisory or managerial capacity, including for endorsement or commercial opportunities. (legis.la.gov) House Bill 513, the NIL bill, separately says an intercollegiate athlete may obtain professional representation from “an athlete agent, marketing representative, or an attorney” for compensation tied to the athlete’s name, image or likeness, so long as that representation comes from people registered with or licensed by the state for that activity. (legis.la.gov) ### What do the new contract rules require families to know? Louisiana requires a registered athlete agent to file the contract form and fee schedule with the public protection division. The statute says the contract must carry a notice stating that registration does not mean the state approves the contract terms or the agent’s competence. The same notice warns athletes that signing an agent contract will likely cost them intercollegiate eligibility, requires written notice to the school’s athletic director and head coach within 72 hours, and gives the athlete a right to rescind within 16 days after the contract is filed with the division. (legis.la.gov) ### Where do high school NIL rules come in? (legis.la.gov) House Bill 513 is the high school NIL law. The bill became Act 810 on June 8 and takes effect August 1, 2026. It adds definitions for “high school,” “interscholastic athlete,” and “interscholastic athletic program” to Louisiana’s NIL statute. The bill text says a high school may prohibit an interscholastic athlete from earning NIL compensation during academic activities, official team activities and interscholastic athletic program activities. (legis.la.gov) It also places high schools inside the state’s NIL framework for the first time. ### What should families check before hiring anyone? (legis.la.gov) A Louisiana family can start with four concrete questions. First, ask whether the person is registered with the public protection division of the Department of Justice if they are acting as an athlete agent under state law. Second, ask for the written fee schedule the law requires registered agents to file. Third, ask whether the contract includes the state-mandated notice and rescission terms. (legis.la.gov) Fourth, ask what school-notification duties apply within 72 hours of signing. The state’s own warning language gives another checklist item. Registration, the statute says, does not equal state endorsement of the contract or the representative’s competence, so families still need to read terms, confirm services and compare fees before signing. August 1, 2026, is the next key date. That is when Act 810’s high school NIL provisions take effect, while Act 895 is already in force and governs athlete-agent registration through Louisiana’s Department of Justice. (legis.la.gov 1) (legis.la.gov 2) (legis.la.gov 3)