The Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. - A proposal to pay Nebraska football players passed in the state's legislature on Friday in a reduced form that allows the university to determine which athletes would receive payments.

The bill will apply to all athletes at the university competing in the Big 12 Conference, but payments would be at the discretion of the school.

The bill would be put into effect only if four other states with schools in the Big 12 pass similar laws.

A similar proposal has been introduced in Texas. Other states that have schools in the conference are Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, and Iowa.

Nebraska's bill passed on a 26-9 vote.

Bill sponsor Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said his intention is not to have schools pay players; instead he had hopes to pressure the NCAA to change its rules limiting how much a student can receive in scholarships and aid, and earn through outside work.

Passage of the bill will ensure that the NCAA will be pressured to get more money to athletes, Chambers said.

The NCAA said it was sensitive to Chambers' concerns. However, if Nebraska's players were paid, they would violate the association's extra-benefits rule and, thus, would be declared ineligible, NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said in February.

Gov. Mike Johanns has said he would sign the bill into law if it is passed. The Nebraska legislature passed a similar bill in 1988, but it was vetoed by Gov. Kay Orr.