Bill Text: IL SB2596 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Fan-Funded Stadium Act. Provides that, if any professional sports team (i) uses a tax-supported facility for most of its home games during the regular season of the professional sports league in which the team participates and (ii) receives financial assistance from the State or a political subdivision of the State, then that professional sports team shall not cease playing most of its home games at the tax-supported facility and begin playing most of its home games elsewhere unless the owner of the professional sports team enters into an agreement with the municipality in which the tax-supported facility is located permitting the team to play most of its home games elsewhere or gives the municipality in which the facility is located not less than 6 months' advance notice of the owner's intention for the team to cease playing most of its home games at the facility and gives the municipality or any individual or group of individuals who reside in the area the opportunity to purchase the team.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-10-18 - Referred to Assignments [SB2596 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB2596-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB2596 Introduced 10/18/2023, by Sen. Robert Peters SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
Creates the Fan-Funded Stadium Act. Provides that, if any professional sports team (i) uses a tax-supported facility for most of its home games during the regular season of the professional sports league in which the team participates and (ii) receives financial assistance from the State or a political subdivision of the State, then that professional sports team shall not cease playing most of its home games at the tax-supported facility and begin playing most of its home games elsewhere unless the owner of the professional sports team enters into an agreement with the municipality in which the tax-supported facility is located permitting the team to play most of its home games elsewhere or gives the municipality in which the facility is located not less than 6 months' advance notice of the owner's intention for the team to cease playing most of its home games at the facility and gives the municipality or any individual or group of individuals who reside in the area the opportunity to purchase the team.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning sports facilities.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Fan-Funded Stadium Act.
Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"Government subsidy" means a method of financing the
construction or renovation of a tax-supported facility using
State or municipal bonds, tax exemptions, or direct payments
of public moneys.
"Tax-supported facility" means a sports stadium located in
the State that is constructed or renovated, in whole or in
part, using a government subsidy, whether that construction or
renovation occurred before, on, or after the effective date of
this Act.
Section 10. Professional sports teams; home games. If any
professional sports team (i) uses a tax-supported facility for
most of its home games during the regular season of the
professional sports league in which the team participates and
(ii) receives financial assistance from the State or a
political subdivision of the State, then that professional
sports team shall not cease playing most of its home games at

SB2596 - 2 - LRB103 34140 HLH 64045 b
the tax-supported facility and begin playing most of its home
games elsewhere unless the owner of the professional sports
team either:
(1) enters into an agreement with the municipality in
which the tax-supported facility is located permitting the
team to play most of its home games elsewhere; or
(2) gives the municipality in which the facility is
located not less than 6 months' advance notice of the
owner's intention for the team to cease playing most of
its home games at the facility and, during the 6 months
after that notice, gives the municipality or any
individual or group of individuals who reside in the area
the opportunity to purchase the team.
Section 15. Enforcement. If a professional sports team
does not comply with the provisions of this Act, then the
municipality in which the tax-supported facility is located
may file a complaint in the circuit court for the county in
which the tax-supported facility is located seeking injunctive
relief, actual damages, or both.