Congress has struggled to pass major laws this year.

This has delayed debates on spending, defense, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence.

But in its final weeks before the midterm elections, the Senate has found one issue it can agree on: college sports.

The Senate voted twice this week to move forward on a bill.

The bill would overhaul the rules and financing around college sports.

Supporters say the goal is to control spending and prevent constant legal battles.

They also want to restore order to what they call a "chaos" in athletic programs.

More than 70 senators back the bill, which still needs to pass the House.

Final votes could come as soon as next week.

Some Senate critics say the bill is not Congress's most urgent task.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said lawmakers should focus on affordability issues first.

He said the bill goes too far in inserting the federal government into college athletics.

He added that it could create new problems.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said the Senate should focus on other things, including a war and a growing cost crisis.

He called the college sports legislation "a fake crisis."

He also said it does not do enough to protect athletes.

Backers say the bill would keep college costs down.

They say it would give hundreds of thousands of student athletes new health and labor protections.

It would also create one set of rules for all colleges.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, promised the bill's top sponsors a vote in September.

He said there is "pent-up demand" to fix college sports, which he called "clearly broken."

The bill would cap the revenue colleges can share with players.

It would add a retention pool to keep current players.

It would also let conferences pool TV media rights.

It would restrict player transfers as well.

It would codify the NCAA's rule allowing players no more than five years of eligibility.

It would cap agent fees and give the NCAA limited antitrust protections.

Labor and civil rights groups oppose the bill.

All four Black Democrats in the Senate voted against it.

Sen. Cory Booker said it gives too much power to the NCAA without enough accountability for players.

But Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware said the bill should give Americans hope that college sports can be stabilized.