Bill Text: NY S08781 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the ownership of a professional sports team by a local or state government.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-04-14 - REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT [S08781 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S08781-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8781

                    IN SENATE

                                     April 14, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. BRISPORT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government

        AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to the  ownership
          of a professional sports team by a local or state government

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

     1    Section 1.   The general municipal law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
     2  section 26 to read as follows:
     3    §  26.  Ownership  in  a  professional sports team by a local or state
     4  government. 1. (a) As used in this section the term "facility" means:
     5    (i) stadiums, arenas or other structures for the holding  of  athletic
     6  contests and other events and gatherings, including, without limitation,
     7  baseball,  football  and  automobile racing; musical, dramatic and other
     8  artistic, cultural or social events, public meetings; and
     9    (ii) other public events and practice fields,  or  other  areas  where
    10  professional  sports  teams  and  other  sports  teams  may  practice or
    11  perform.
    12    (b) "Facility" shall also mean and  include  the  following  types  of
    13  property  if  that property is related to or located near an item listed
    14  in paragraph (a) of this subdivision:
    15    (i) offices, parking lots and garages, access roads,  streets,  inter-
    16  sections, highway interchanges, pedestrian walkways, tunnels, and bridg-
    17  es, transportation facilities, monuments, restaurants, stores, and other
    18  facilities  providing  goods and services to persons attending meetings,
    19  contests, gatherings or events at the facility;
    20    (ii) other recreation areas and recreational facilities;
    21    (iii)  other  property   or   structures   including   all   fixtures,
    22  furnishings, and appurtenances normally associated with such facilities;
    23  and
    24    (iv) landscaping, parks, and open spaces.
    25    2.    An owner of a professional sports team that for most of its home
    26  games uses a facility that is (a) owned by a unit of  local  government;
    27  or  (b)  supported  by  a  unit  of  local  government with taxes or tax

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15186-01-2
        S. 8781                             2

     1  reductions shall not cease playing most of its home games at the facili-
     2  ty and begin playing most of its home games elsewhere unless the owner:
     3    (i)  enters  into  an agreement with the unit of local government that
     4  owns the facility or supports the facility with taxes or tax  reductions
     5  permitting the team to play most of its home games elsewhere; or
     6    (ii)  gives  the  unit  of  local government that owns the facility or
     7  supports the facility with taxes or tax reductions in which the facility
     8  is located not less than six  months'  advance  notice  of  the  owner's
     9  intention  to  cease playing most of its home games at the facility and,
    10  during the six months after such notice, gives:
    11    (A) the unit of local government the opportunity to purchase more than
    12  fifty percent ownership in the professional sports team;
    13    (B) the unit of local government first refusal to purchase the profes-
    14  sional sports team; or
    15    (C) an individual or group of individuals who reside in  the  area  of
    16  the facility the opportunity to purchase the team.
    17    3.  Any  new  stadium  that  receives fifty-one percent or more of its
    18  financing from public money shall offer local and state  government  the
    19  opportunity to purchase more than fifty percent ownership in the profes-
    20  sional sports team.
    21    §  2.   This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
    22  have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
    23  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
    24  this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
    25  on or before such effective date.