SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Eight student-athletes from California universities will go to the state capitol Monday to lobby lawmakers to vote against proposed legislation that would force their schools out of the NCAA by allowing athletes to make money and hire agents.

Two athletes each from Cal, Stanford, UCLA and USC will travel to Sacramento to make their case. They're also bringing along a petition with some 700 signatures.

"We're very concerned about this bill," said Stanford swimmer Michael Bruce, chair of the Pac-10 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. "The way we look at it, there are some very marginal effects of this and the costs are exceptionally high to achieve this little change. We don't care to have our careers put on the line through this."

Not only would the bill turn the NCAA system upside down and make California a loner in the world of college sports, it also would cost the state's schools and their conferences approximately $40 million in annual revenue.

Dubbed "the student-athletes' bill of rights," the legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Kevin Murray and John Burton. They believe college athletes deserve better treatment for what they bring to their schools than what NCAA rules allow.

Approved by the state Senate last May, the bill is now under review in the Assembly's higher education committee.

"The Pac-10 administration is not involved, it's something the student-athletes have done on their own volition," said Pac-10 staff member Erik Price, who has been involved in the issue. "These people represent our student-athlete leaders on their campuses and we're happy to see them getting involved in the political process."

Bruce hopes lawmakers will listen to the athletes.

"I think we'll be met well," he said. "Student-athletes taking the time out of their schedules and expressing their opinions is a pretty powerful statement. In our opinion it's a bill that's well intended but should not be put into law."