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Protecting Sports Teams: New Relocation Rules and Reimbursements for Cities

This act aims to protect the interests of cities and fans by making it harder for sports teams to relocate suddenly. It introduces new conditions a team must meet before moving and ensures cities can recover funds if a team breaches a contract. This better safeguards public investments in stadiums and support for teams.
Key points
Sports teams cannot relocate unless the city breached a contract, the stadium is inadequate, or the team has incurred losses for five years.
Team owners must first offer to sell the team to others who would not relocate it before a relocation petition can be approved.
Cities can sue a team or owner for damages if relocation rules are violated, and recover three times the value of financial assistance.
The act only applies to teams with stadium lease agreements with government authorities.
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Status:
Expired
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Additional Information
Print number: 117_HR_9151
Sponsor: Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23]
Process start date: 2022-10-07
System Note: Lustra is free, publicly auditable civic infrastructure, with full source code available on GitHub. You are reading sterilized legislative data, processed by our radical neutrality engine to strip political spin and retain factual mechanics. We process only official government data. Original documents remain the authoritative source, always verify them if you can.
Summarized by: gemini-2.5-flash-preview-05-20
Source data: api.congress.gov
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OFFICIAL LEGAL TITLE

SPURS Act

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the official ID of this bill?

The official print number for this legislation is 117_HR_9151.

Which chamber initiated this legislation?

This legislation was initiated in the House of Representatives.

When did the legislative process begin?

The process officially started on 2022-10-07.

What are the main provisions?

Key points include:

  • Sports teams cannot relocate unless the city breached a contract, the stadium is inadequate, or the team has incurred losses for five years.
  • Team owners must first offer to sell the team to others who would not relocate it before a relocation petition can be approved.
  • Cities can sue a team or owner for damages if relocation rules are violated, and recover three times the value of financial assistance.
  • The act only applies to teams with stadium lease agreements with government authorities.
What is the specific legal status?

The current status is Expired.

Where can I read the full text of this legislation?

The full official text is available at: View full text

Who is the primary sponsor?

The primary sponsor is Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23].

What is the latest detailed status?

The latest detailed status is: Referred to the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.

Is this summary verified?

Yes. This content was analyzed by AI and verified by the Lustra Judge System on 2025-12-28.

What is the impact of this bill?

We don't know, that is up to you to decide. Summarizing raw data with AI is fundamentally different from predicting socio-economic outcomes. As of 2026, we believe impact assessment strictly requires a human in the loop to verify and judge.

CATEGORIES

Local Government Courts and Law Public Investments