OHIO — Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order Monday afternoon that will allow Ohio athletes to profit over their names, images and likenesses.

The action comes after state lawmakers added language to Senate Bill 187 last week, causing disagreements. 

The original language of SB 187 focused on giving athletes more control over their fame. The bill, which gained bipartisan support, hit a roadblock last week after GOP Rep. Jena Powell added language that would ban transgander girls from participating in women's sports. 

“This legislation is crucial to preserving women’s rights, and the integrity of women’s and girls’ sports," Powell wrote in a statement.

The addition received criticism from Democratic lawmakers.

“These are children we’re talking about,” House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes wrote in a statement. “Children deserve compassion and care from adults. The adults in this room must provide that as leaders. This body has failed our kids today.”

While the bill is now in the Ohio Senate for consideration, it would need DeWine's signature to go into effect, who criticized the bill last week. 

"This issue is best addressed outside of government, through individual sports leagues and athletic associations, including the Ohio High School Athletic Association, who can tailor policies to meet the needs of their member athletes and member institutions,” the governor said in a statement.

DeWine instead signed an executive order that focuses solely on college athletes profiting from their fame, leaving the provision to ban transgender girls from women's sports out of the equation. 

When it goes into effect, Ohio college athletes can sign endorsement deals with brands, as long as the deals don't effect the endorsements in place at their colleges.

Other states have similar laws going into effect this Thursday, including Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.