Proposed bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders targets pro sports team relocation. Here's how

The Indiana Bears? The Hammond Bears? The Chicago Bears of Indiana?

As the Bears threaten relocation across state lines, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) have introduced a bill that could counter such a move.

Sanders and Casar jointly announced the Home Team Act in a press conference on March 26. The proposed federal bill, if passed, would require team ownership to provide one year of notice before moving a team to a new location if the team would move across state lines or to a new metropolitan area.

During that year prior to the proposed relocation, the franchise in question would be available for other prospective owners to purchase "at a fair and reasonable price." A team of appraisers would determined what constitutes as "fair and reasonable," according to a press release from Rep. Casar's office.

"The American people are sick and tired of billionaires threatening to move the sports teams they own to different states unless they get hundreds of millions in corporate welfare to build new stadiums," Sen. Sanders said in a statement.

"Sports in America should be about more than just making billionaire owners even richer," Rep. Casar said in a statement. "Far too many Americans know the pain of losing a team, and far too many communities have had to fork over billions in subsidies just to keep an already profitable team home. Our bill is about creating a level playing field so leagues work for fans and taxpayers, not just owners."

Penalties would be levied on franchise owners found non-compliant with the one-year notice, should the bill pass.

The Home Team Act would only apply to professional sports teams located in the United States, not Canadian teams that play in U.S.-based sports leagues like the Toronto Blue Jays of MLB or Toronto Raptors of the NBA.

How the Home Team Act could affect the Bears' planned relocation

Chicago's NFL team has been putting extra pressure on Illinois state lawmakers in recent months, threatening a move across state lines to the southeast. The Indiana state government has helped create more pressure by working to approve the use of state funds to help the Bears build their new stadium and the surrounding infrastructure in Hammond.

An amended bill – Indiana Senate Bill 27 – has been signed into law by Indiana Governor Mike Braun, which proposes to create a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. The stadium authority would be responsible for issuing bonds to finance the stadium's construction.

On Feb. 19, Indiana governor Mike Braun posted on social media site X saying that the state of Indiana had "identified a promising (stadium) site near Wolf Lake in Hammond," a city near the shared state line with Illinois.

The Bears released their own statement on the same day via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, declaring Senate Bill 27 "the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date."

Illinois lawmakers have pushed back on the Bears-to-Indiana plan.

In December, Illinois governor JB Pritzker's Deputy Chief of Staff, Matt Hill, said in a statement, "Suggesting the Bears would move to Indiana is a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season. The Governor's a Bears fan who has always wanted them to stay in Chicago. He has also said that ultimately they are a private business."

In the Bears' proposed move to Hammond, Indiana, the team's owners would be mandated by law to give one year of notice before moving ahead with their relocation plan under the Home Team Act, if it were to pass.

Conversely, the Chicago-based franchise would be in the clear to move to the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights without making the team available to buyers, given the suburb's proximity to the team's current city.

Other teams could end up publicly owned under proposed bill

A community ownership model – like the one the Green Bay Packers use – would get an opportunity to take over ownership of the club prior to a proposed relocation, according to the press release.

"In my view, professional sports teams should be owned and controlled by the fans who love them," Sanders said, "not by the multibillionaire oligarchs who are getting even richer by charging outrageous prices and getting taxpayers to pick up their extravagant costs."

Otherwise, "a government entity, a nonprofit or public partnership, or a private person, group, or company" could step in to purchase the team, according to the press release.

If no buyer emerges, a team's owners could continue to pursue relocation efforts.

Which government officials support the Home Team Act?

Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Illinois), who began his political career in Chicago in the 1980s, is a co-sponsor of the bill. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-California), whose district includes Oakland, a city that has lost three professional sports teams since 2019, is another co-sponsor.

Other co-sponsors include Rep. Chris DeLuzio (D-Pennsylvania), Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan).

USA TODAY Sports has also reached out to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for comment.

"You shouldn’t have to fear that a multibillionaire will move your favorite team to a different city if taxpayers refuse to subsidize it," Sen. Sanders said in a statement. "The Home Team Act is a very modest piece of legislation that begins to address this problem. I am proud to support it."