Home Team Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Casar
Introduced
Summary
Community control over franchise moves would be strengthened by forcing owners to offer a team for sale locally before moving or eliminating it. The bill would set a prioritized order of local buyers and require a Treasury-appointed appraisal that deducts public stadium subsidies from the sale price.
Show full summary
- Communities and local governments: Owners must give proper notice at least one year before the season in which relocation would occur and offer the franchise at the Treasury-determined fair market price. Priority buyers are, in order, a local government or home community cooperative; a local nonprofit or public-private partnership; then local private buyers.
- Local governments and states: Units of local government or a State could sue for injunctions and monetary relief and the Attorney General may assess a civil penalty of $30,000 per day for violations.
- Leagues and owners: Leagues operating in interstate commerce could not enforce rules that forbid ownership by a government entity or by members of the public, and owners must accept eligible local offers that meet or exceed the appraised fair price.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Fines and lawsuits for bad moves
This bill would let the Attorney General fine a team owner $30,000 for each day the owner breaks the relocation notice or offer rules. A State or unit of local government could also sue a team owner in federal court for an injunction or money damages for those violations.
Protect franchise workers' bargaining rights
This bill would not be read to interfere with employees' rights to collectively bargain over terms and conditions of employment. It would also preserve any collective bargaining agreement that is in place on the date the law starts.
Allow public and government ownership
If enacted, the bill would bar leagues that operate across State lines from having rules that stop a government or members of the public from owning a team. Leagues could not forbid transferring a team to a government entity or to members of the general public.
Local right to buy teams
This bill would stop an owner from moving a team out of its home community, moving it across State lines, or eliminating it unless the owner first gives local buyers a fair chance to buy. The owner would have to give proper notice at least one year before the season or before elimination. Priority buyers would be local government or a home community cooperative first, then local nonprofits or certain public-private groups, then private buyers from the community. The owner would have to offer the team at a fair price set by a Treasury appraisal team. The appraisal would subtract any government money spent to build the stadium where the team played most home games from that fair price.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Casar
TX • D
Cosponsors
Tlaib
MI • D
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Deluzio
PA • D
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Garcia (TX)
TX • D
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Simon
CA • D
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Garcia (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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