Home Team Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8097
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Sports and Recreation
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-03-26: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-13T08:06:47Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Home Team Act of 2026 (H.R. 8097) aims to prevent professional sports teams from leaving their home areas by requiring owners to offer teams for sale to local buyers first and banning leagues from blocking public or community ownership. It justifies this through the teams' economic and cultural ties to communities, misuse of public funds for stadiums, and their impact on interstate commerce (e.g., broadcasting, travel, revenue sharing).
Key Provisions
- Ban on Ownership Restrictions (Sec. 3(a)): Leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, WNBA, NWSL) cannot prohibit teams from being owned by local governments, cooperatives, nonprofits, or the general public.
- Right of First Refusal Before Relocation or Elimination (Sec. 3(b)-(c)):
- Owners must give at least one year notice publicly before moving across state lines or folding the team.
- Offer the team for sale at fair market value, determined by U.S. Treasury appraisers who deduct public subsidies (e.g., taxpayer money for stadiums).
- Priority buyers (in order):
- Local government or "home community cooperative" (democratically controlled group of locals).
- Local nonprofit or public-private partnership.
- Local private buyer or group.
- Must accept any qualifying fair offer.
- Enforcement (Sec. 3(d)):
- U.S. Attorney General fines violators $30,000 per day.
- Local or state governments can sue for injunctions (court orders to stop actions) or money damages.
- Definitions (Sec. 3(f)): Key terms include "community" (metropolitan statistical area where most home games are played), "proper notice" (detailed public announcement), and specific leagues.
- Exceptions: Does not affect workers' rights to unionize or existing union contracts.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces federal oversight of private sports leagues' rules, previously unregulated by Congress.
- Mandates public deduction of subsidies in team valuations, penalizing use of taxpayer funds.
- Creates a new federal appraisal process by Treasury for sports franchises.
- No prior federal law required right-of-first-refusal for relocations or banned public ownership bans.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Treasury must create and run an appraisal team; Attorney General enforces fines; local/state governments gain lawsuit rights and potential team ownership.
- Citizens and Communities: Fans and locals could buy/own teams via cooperatives or governments, reducing forced stadium funding or displacement; protects cultural/economic assets.
- Sports Franchises/Leagues: Limits owners' relocation leverage (e.g., no threats to move for better deals); may increase sale prices or block moves.
- International Relations: Minimal; notes revenue sharing with Canadian teams but focuses on U.S.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Team Owners: Restricted relocation and sale options.
- Leagues: Cannot enforce anti-public ownership rules.
- Local Governments and Communities: Priority to buy teams; tools to fight relocations.
- Fans and Cooperatives/Nonprofits: Opportunity for community ownership.
- Federal Government: New roles in appraisals and enforcement.
- Taxpayers: Indirect protection from stadium subsidies via valuation deductions.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Relies on Congress's Commerce Clause power (Article I, Section 8) due to teams' interstate effects; allows private lawsuits, expanding enforcement.
- Constitutional: Could face challenges over property rights (owners' freedom to sell/move) or contract interference with league agreements.
- Political: Promotes public/community control over private sports business; no broad partisan language, but findings criticize public funding abuses.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (7)
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12], Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17], Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29], Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12], Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4], Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14], Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]
Recent Actions
- 2026-03-26: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2026-03-26: Introduced in House
- 2026-03-26: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Home Team Act of 2026 — issued 2026-03-26 — PDF (9 pages)