SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — University of Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman testified at a congressional hearing Tuesday about the future of college athletics.

“Efforts underway to reform and modernize college athletics are in many ways overdue, as the NCAA has not always moved with needed urgency,” Whitman said.

This was not Whitman’s first time speaking to politicians about policies like Name, Image and Likeness laws. He was a key player in crafting Illinois’ law that allowed college athletes to profit off their career as student athletes. However, it is laws like Illinois’ that are causing headaches for athletic departments across the state.

In recent years, over 30 states upended college athletics by finally allowing athletes to profit from endorsement deals and appearances. Many of those states specifically crafted their laws to give their teams a competitive edge. It’s lead to an extensive patchwork of different laws, and the federal government has not acted to level the playing field. Whitman, and many others, want that to change.

“While the NCAA, a settlement could bring much needed structure and stability to the current landscape, it may not be sufficient to address the opportunities and challenges posed by NIL,” Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-Kentucky) said.

Even if the federal government doesn’t act, that doesn’t mean big change isn’t on the way. In April, a deal known as the “house settlement” could be finalized. It would end a historic class action lawsuit and create a first-of-its-kind revenue sharing model between universities and their student athletes. Whitman highlighted the good it could do, while also warning about what further steps could do for universities.

“We now have an expanding patchwork of state laws that are frequently being adopted to create competitive advantage for their hometown institutions,” Whitman said. “At the same time, the efforts to recast student athletes as institutional employees would be catastrophic for the vast majority of NCAA of the NCAA membership, likely resulting in lost opportunities for thousands of student athletes.”

The revenue sharing deal would allow for $20 billion dollars to go to athletes over the next 10 years. It does have it’s critics though. There are concerns that the revenue sharing model will cause problems for “non-revenue” sports at universities. Whitman downplayed those concerns though, and said the new plan would lead to more opportunities across the entire athletic department.

“In fact, we intend to invest more heavily into the experience of our student athletes,” Whitman said. “Every one of our sports will see increased scholarship opportunities. That’s one of the byproducts of the new house settlement.”