,i  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #iaea  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,october #g1         
#bjbb,mr4 ,tony ,gonzales of ,texas     
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,energy  
and ,commerce  ,a ,,bill  ,to establish 
certain conditions and requirements     
relating to the relocation of           
professional sports teams1 and for other
 purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,strengthening      
,public ,undertakings for ,retaining    
,sports ,act or the ,,spurs ,act4  #b4  
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,the name of a professional sports
 team always is linked to the name of   
the community in which the team is      
located4  7#b7 ,communities1 sports     
fans1 and taxpayers make a substantial  
and valuable financial1 psychological1  
and emotional investment in professional
 sports teams and names of teams4  7#c7 
,communities receive substantial tax    
revenues and employment opportunities   

from the operation of professional      
sports teams4  7#d7 ,the public1 through
 a municipal stadium or arena authority 
7which may be a city or county agency or
 a municipal corporation71 often        
authorizes capital construction bonds to
 build a stadium or arena for a         
professional sports team1 while the     
lease or use agreement generally sets   
rent to cover only operating costs of   
the stadium or arena without reimbursing
 the public for construction costs4     
7#e7 ,a professional sports team that   
wishes to relocate the operations of the
 team to another area should take into  
account the social and community needs  
of the community in which the team      
operates4  7#f7 ,professional sports    
teams promote civic pride and generate  
jobs1 revenue1 and other local economic 
development4  7#g7 ,professional sports 
teams remain in communities for         
generations and represent much more than
 a business4  7#h7 ,current law does not
 protect the rights of sports fans or   

the interests of communities when       
professional sports teams decide to     
relocate4  7#i7 ,owners of professional 
sports teams have opportunities to      
extract enormous benefits from          
communities and owners take advantage of
 those opportunities4  #c4 ,prohibition 
on relocation ,a professional sports    
team may not relocate unless each of the
 following conditions is met3 7#a7 ,one 
or more of the parties1 other than the  
professional sports team1 to the stadium
 or arena lease agreement of the        
professional sports team has failed to  
comply with a provision of material     
significance to such stadium or arena   
lease agreement and such failure to     
comply cannot be remedied within a      
reasonable period of time4  7#b7 ,the   
stadium or arena in which the           
professional sports team plays regular  
season and playoff home games is        
inadequate for the purposes of properly 
and competitively operating the         
professional sports team1 and the entity

 that owns or operates such stadium or  
arena has failed to demonstrate intent  
to remedy the inadequacy of such stadium
 or arena within a reasonable period of 
time4  7#c7 ,the professional sports    
team has incurred an annual net loss for
 not fewer than five years prior to the 
proposed relocation4  7#d7 ,the         
government authority that is party to   
the stadium or arena lease agreement    
described in paragraph 7#a7 has not made
 a formal objection to the proposed     
relocation by the date that is #a year  
after the date on which an owner of the 
professional sports team submits a      
petition for relocation under section   
#e7;a74  #d4 ,right of first refusal ,in
 any case in which an owner of a        
professional sports team submits a      
petition for relocation under section   
#e7;a71 such owner shall1 until the date
 that is #a year after the date on which
 such owner submits such petition1 offer
 the professional sports team for sale  
at fair market value to other persons   

who would not relocate the professional 
sports team before such petition may be 
approved4  #e4 ,requirements for        
relocation  7a7 ,petition for relocation
 ,an owner of a professional sports team
 who intends to relocate the            
professional sports team shall submit a 
petition for relocation as follows3 7#a7
 ,such owner shall submit such petition 
to the government authority that is     
party to the stadium or arena lease     
agreement described in section #c7a7 at 
least #a year before the proposed       
relocation may be approved by such      
government authority under subsection   
7b74  7#b7 ,such petition shall be in   
writing and sent by certified mail or   
delivered to such government authority  
personally4  7#c7 ,such petition shall  
contain the following3 7,a7 ,a statement
 detailing the intent to relocate1 the  
conditions justifying the proposed      
relocation1 and the new location4  7,b7 
,documentation that supports the        
existence of the conditions justifying  

the proposed relocation4  7,c7 ,the date
 on which the owner of the professional 
sports team intends for the proposed    
relocation to occur4  7b7 ,review by    
government authority  7#a7 ,review ,an  
owner of a professional sports team may 
not relocate the professional sports    
team unless a petition for the          
relocation of the professional sports   
team submitted under subsection 7a7 has 
been formally approved by the government
 authority in writing4  7#b7 ,deadline  
for action ,a government authority to   
which a petition is submitted under     
subsection 7a7 shall approve or deny    
such petition not later than #ahj days  
after the date on which such petition is
 submitted4  #f4 ,required reimbursement
 to ,state and local government for     
value of financial assistance received  
7a7 ,required reimbursement ,if an owner
 of a professional sports team relocates
 such professional sports team from one 
stadium or arena to another stadium or  
arena 7including a stadium or arena     

located in the same metropolitan area in
 which the previous stadium or arena is 
located7 and1 in so relocating such     
professional sports team1 such owner    
breaches a contract with a ,state or    
local government with respect to use of 
the previous stadium or arena1 such     
owner shall 7not later than #cj days    
after the date on which such            
professional sports team plays the first
 regular season home game in the new    
stadium or arena7 pay to such ,state or 
local government an amount equal to the 
value of any financial assistance       
provided to such professional sports    
team by such ,state or local government4
  7b7 ,exception ,the requirement       
described in subsection 7a7 does not    
apply to a breach of a contract that    
provides as a remedy for such breach    
recovery of any financial assistance    
provided to the professional sports team
 by the ,state or local government4  7c7
 ,penalty ,an owner of a professional   
sports team that fails to meet the      

requirement described in subsection 7a7 
is liable in a civil action under       
section #g to the ,state or local       
government that provided to the         
professional sports team the financial  
assistance described in such subsection 
for damages in an amount equal to three 
times the value of such financial       
assistance4  #g4 ,private right of      
action by ,state or local government ,a 
,state or local government may bring a  
civil action in an appropriate district 
court of the ,united ,states against a  
professional sports team that violates  
section #c or an owner of a professional
 sports team that violates section #d1  
#e1 or #f to obtain damages1 if-- 7#a7  
the ,state or local government has      
provided1 or has been requested to      
provide1 financial assistance1 including
 tax abatement1 to the professional     
sports team or the existing or proposed 
stadium or arena in which the           
professional sports team plays or is    
proposed to play regular season and     

playoff home games2 or  7#b7 the        
jurisdiction of the ,state or local     
government includes or is included      
within1 in whole or in part1 the        
metropolitan area in which the          
professional sports team plays regular  
season and playoff home games4  #h4     
,applicability ,sections #c1 #d1 and #e 
only apply with respect to a            
professional sports team that has a     
stadium or arena lease agreement with a 
government authority4  #i4 ,definitions 
,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,financial          
assistance ,the term financial          
assistance includes special tax         
treatment and financing of a stadium or 
arena in which a professional sports    
team plays regular season and playoff   
home games4  7#b7 ,government authority 
,the term government authority means any
 unit of local government or other      
government agency or authority that--   
7,a7 owns1 operates1 or has a financial 
interest in a stadium or arena used by a
 professional sports team to play       

regular season and playoff home games2  
or  7,b7 exercises regulatory authority 
with respect to a professional sports   
team4  7#c7 ,professional sports team   
,the term professional sports team means
 a major league team in an organized    
professional sport4  7#d7 ,relocate ,the
 term relocate means-- 7,a7 to move the 
location in which a professional sports 
team plays regular season and playoff   
home games from a metropolitan area to a
 different metropolitan area2 or  7,b7  
to move such location within a          
metropolitan area if the professional   
sports team falls under the jurisdiction
 of a different government authority4