The Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Play Act is designed to protect student-athletes' economic and physical wellbeing.Maryland college athletes would get paid for endorsements under a bill currently advancing in the General Assembly. If passed, college athletes would be allowed to profit off their name, image and likeness.The measure has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.As the Maryland basketball team focuses on beating the University of Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA tournament, lawmakers are working on legislation that protects the student-athletes and adds a financial incentive to reward all college athletes for their hard work."We go to their games, we tweet our support and we support them in our words. And so now, it is time that we should support them here where we can truly make a difference," said the bill's sponsor, Baltimore City Delegate Brooke Lierman, D-District 46.The legislation is called the Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Act, named for McNair, who died in 2018 from heat exhaustion on the football practice field. "As a parent who lost a child to a preventable injury, we have met with many other parents who had to endure the pain the same as we did," said Jordan McNair's father, Martin McNair.The bill would require colleges to implement guidelines to prevent and treat serious sports injuries. Colleges must develop return-to-play protocols, and the institutions must make annual reports that include any health and safety policy changes. Lawmakers struck a provision that guaranteed a five-year scholarship."If Jordan McNair knew that he could have walked off the field because of his deteriorating physical condition and still maintained his scholarship until he graduated, it's plausible that he would be with us today," said Emmet Gill, of Athletes and Advocates.The bill also opens the door for paid endorsements."Student-athletes lose these rights when they become NCAA athletes. This bill restores those NIL rights, I think, well beyond the football and basketball teams," Lierman said. The bill prohibits college athletes from using the branding or logo of their school without permission from the athletic department. The student-athlete must also get prior approval to engage in in-person advertising during official team activities."Female athletes have a short amount of time in their lives that they can earn any income off their status as an athlete, and this will enable them to do that in college. And we know that athletes from disadvantaged backgrounds and students of color disproportionately could earn revenue generated by their athletic talent would benefit greatly," Lierman said.A similar measure is also advancing in the Senate. The law is already on the books in five states, and 35 other states filed bills this year to consider doing the same.Lawmakers said they don't want to continue waiting for the NCAA to act. The association indefinitely delayed a vote on revising its policy.If passed, the bill would take effect in 2023.