New York S 9845: Keeps professional sports franchises in their home communities

Bill Text

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S09845 Summary:

BILL NOS09845 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A11050

&nbsp

SPONSORSKOUFIS

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add Title H Art 27 §§27.01 - 27.07, Arts & Cul L

&nbsp

Keeps professional sports franchises in their home communities by requiring franchise owners offer the franchise for sale prior to relocating or eliminating the franchise.

Go to top S09845 Actions:

BILL NOS09845 

&nbsp

04/08/2026REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION

Go to topS09845 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09845 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS09845 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9845

 IN SENATE

 April 8, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism,
 Parks and Recreation

 AN ACT to amend the arts and cultural affairs law, in relation to keep-
 ing professional sports franchises in their home communities

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. The arts and cultural affairs law is amended by adding a
 2 new title H to read as follows:
 3 TITLE H
 4 PROFESSIONAL SPORTS FRANCHISES
 5 ARTICLE 27
 6 HOME TEAM ACT
 7 Section 27.01. Definitions.
 8 27.03. Prohibition on moving and terminating certain franchises.
 9 27.05. Appraisal.
 10 27.07. Enforcement.
 11 § 27.01. Definitions. As used in this article:
 12 1. The term "community", with respect to a franchise, means the metro-
 13 politan statistical area, as determined by the federal office of manage-
 14 ment and budget, in which the franchise plays the greatest number of
 15 regular season home games within its league or, where a franchise does
 16 not plays its greatest number of regular season home games within its
 17 league within a metropolitan statistical area, the county in which the
 18 franchise plays the greatest number of regular season home games within
 19 its league.
 20 2. The term "consortium" means a group of private investors created
 21 specifically for a particular transaction of acquiring a sports fran-
 22 chise.
 23 3. The term "franchise" means a member professional sports team of a
 24 league.
 25 4. The term "franchise owner" means a person who owns a franchise.
 26 5. The term "home community cooperative", with respect to a franchise,
 27 means an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD15483-01-6

 S. 9845 2

 1 their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations
 2 through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise that is
 3 based in the community in which the franchise plays the greatest number
 4 of regular season home games within its league.
 5 6. The term "league" includes the National Football League, the
 6 National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, the National
 7 Hockey League, Major League Soccer, the Women's National Basketball
 8 Association, the National Women's Soccer League, and any other profes-
 9 sional sports leagues designated as such by the secretary of state.
 10 7. The term "local government entity", with respect to a franchise,
 11 means any unit of local government with jurisdiction over land use deci-
 12 sions in the location in which the franchise plays the greatest number
 13 of regular season home games within its league, including the state.
 14 8. The term "nonprofit organization" means any organization registered
 15 as a public charity or not-for-profit corporation under state or federal
 16 law.
 17 9. The term "private company" means a business entity the securities
 18 of which do not trade on public markets.
 19 10. The term "proper notice", with respect to proposed relocation or
 20 elimination of a franchise, means notice that is provided not later than
 21 one year prior to the commencement of the season in which the franchise
 22 is to play home games in the proposed new location or the date of fran-
 23 chise elimination to all interested parties, the news media, and on all
 24 social media platforms of the franchise, and includes,