KENTUCKY — Kentucky is the seventh state to officially pass a name, image and likeness (NIL) policy, which took effect July 1.

It is the first to be signed via executive order.

An eighth state will start on July 23, and an additional 12 states have passed NIL legislation that takes effect beyond 2021.

Republican State Sen. Max Wise of Campbellsville and Democratic Senator Morgan McGarvey of Louisville worked with Gov. Andy Beshear to craft the executive order, but don't plan to introduce the NIL bill until the 2022 session.

Wise joins this In Focus Kentucky segment to talk through the effort to make this legislation law in 2022.

Bills that are pre-filed cannot be changed until the session, and the lawmakers behind the effort foresee the need for many changes from now to then.

"We know Kentucky's a very passionate state about their athletics, and I've got nothing but great feedback on this. I think a lot of people are very pleased and the governor was able to put through an executive order to get the ball rolling," Wise said. "This is one of those situations where you look, especially competitively, in the ACC the SEC, the conferences that our flagship universities are part of. And, you know, when we're seeing Florida and other southern states like Georgia and everyone's passing this and our eyebrows are being raised."

Wise added, "Because the last thing we want to do is miss out on opportunities as we're trying to recruit student athletes here to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and what we're trying to say is, 'listen, we're here for you.'"