DENVER (KDVR) Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a measure into law on Friday that would allow universities and athletic associations to compensate student athletes for the use of their name, image or likeness, or NIL.

Polis said he signed the bill because it will bring Colorado “in line with the anticipated House v. NCAA settlement agreement …. which is expected to be finalized and court-approved this spring.” The settlement has been granted preliminary approval, but a final approval hearing has yet to happen.

The debate over paying college athletes has been in the works for years. In 2019, Colorado lawmakers eyed legislation signed into law in California that allowed college athletes to hire agents for endorsement deals beginning in 2023, but did not require schools to pay athletes.

“Our student athletes should have the freedom to contract and develop their careers, and our institutions of higher education should work to increase and retain top talent while supporting athletes in all aspects of their careers,” Polis wrote to the Colorado General Assembly. “I support college athletics and recognize Colorado’s esteemed institutions of higher education must remain a competitive destination, whether that be for athletics, academics, our world class outdoors, or other pursuits.”

He said that while he supports the bill, he’s worried about transparency issues that were not discussed by the legislature. He noted that the bill has a narrowly tailored Colorado Open Records Act exception regarding student athlete contracts. He said the exception “follows an unfortunate trend of legislative proposals that ultimately impede access to official records that are arguably within the public’s interest to view.”

He called the exception a move in the “wrong direction” for transparency.