ILLINOIS (WAND) – Illinois college athletes would be able to make money if a new bill introduced by state lawmakers passes. The new bill wouldn't pay students a salary for playing a sport, but would allow them to profit from endorsements.

HB 3904, which was filed Monday in the Illinois House, would stop schools from “upholding any rule, requirement, standard or limitation” that keeps a student athlete from "earning compensation as a result of the use of the student's name, image, or likeness". It also would keep earnings from an athlete’s likeness from affecting their eligibility for scholarships. California recently passed a similar bill into law.

In a statement to WAND, Illinois Representative Chris Welch, who introduced the proposed legislation, said:

"HB3904 is about fairness and equity.  Colleges, universities and coaches have been profiting off of student athletes for decades... This bill is also about being on par with states that we compete with for top talent.  California now has a competitive advantage in the recruiting space, and we need to move at warp speed to level the playing field from a recruiting perspective... I expect this bill to pass.  We are picking up more support every day as other states like Florida, New York and North Carolina are debating similar bills.  The only concern we are hearing is that this will ruin the integrity of college sports, and that is because they are confusing this bill with the fight to pay salaries to college athletes.  This is not a salary bill.  This is about colleges allowing endorsement deals.  Students would also have to report those deals and pay taxes on the income."

Fans of the proposed legislation include Decatur Councilman and former collegiate and pro basketball player Rodney Walker.

“It’s exciting right off the bat to hear the potential of players getting some type of funding while they’re playing the game," he told WAND.

The Decatur native said if he could have made money from playing in Illinois, he might have stayed home instead of venturing out-of-state to play basketball.

“I think if it was in at that time, I would have chosen Illinois over New Mexico State," he said.

However, Walker conceded that the introduction of money into college sports could dilute the team atmosphere.

“When you start incorporating money, so now it’s more of I-I-I instead of team-team-team," he said. "So that’s going to be the tricky part of it. The coaches are gonna have to be a little more creative on trying to promote the we-ness, still, of the team.”

Walker predicts the bill will become law.

"I think it's gonna pass," he said. "I think we're getting close."

Governor Gavin Newsom signed California's bill into law. It opens the door for college athletes to sign endorsement deals like professional athletes and potentially hire agents. The law takes effect in 2023 and could face a legal challenge.

The NCAA has told the Associated Press it plans to make changes to rules on players making money off names or likeness, but added those changes should happen nationally and not at the state level.

See the full text of the bill in a PDF document attached to this story.