I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2504 

To provide to localities injured by the cancellation or relocation, without 

good cause, of a scheduled organized professional major league team 

competition by a league of organized professional major league baseball 

teams, or a member of such league. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 14, 2021 

Mr. CARTER of Georgia (for himself, Mr. HICE of Georgia, and Mr. DUNCAN) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide to localities injured by the cancellation or relocation, without good cause, of a scheduled organized professional major league team competition by a league of 

organized professional major league baseball teams, or 

a member of such league. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community Protection 

5 in Sports Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 The Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Events put on by organized professional 

4 major league baseball leagues outside of the regular 

5 season of competition provide unique economic bene6 fits to local economies. 

7 (2) Localities must spend money in preparation 

8 for special events that bring in thousands of visitors 

9 from across the country and the world. 

10 (3) The cancellation or relocation of such events 

11 without good cause results in a significant loss of 

12 revenue for local businesses that would have other13 wise benefited from hosting an event. 

14 SEC. 3. UNLAWFUL CONDUCT. 

15 It shall be unlawful for a league of organized profes16 sional major league baseball teams, or a member of such 

17 league, to cancel or relocate a team competition composed 

18 of 2 or more organized professional major league baseball 

19 teams if such competition is not part of the regular season 

20 competition schedule of such league and if the cancellation 

21 or relocations of such competition is not a reasonable re22 sponse to— 

23 (1) a pandemic, 

24 (2) a natural disaster, 

25 (3) inclement weather, or 


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1 (4) an emergency declared by the Federal Gov2 ernment or by the State in which such competition 

3 is scheduled to occur before the applicable cancella4 tion or relocation. 

5 SEC. 4. PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION; CIVIL ACTION. 

6 (a) LIABILITY.—A league of organized professional 

7 major league baseball teams, a member of such league, 

8 or both that cancel or relocate a team competition in viola9 tion of section 3 shall be liable to the locality injured by 

10 such violation. 

11 (b) CIVIL ACTION.—A locality that is injured by a 

12 violation of section 3 may commence a civil action for 

13 damages in an appropriate district court of the United 

14 States, or in a State court of competent jurisdiction, with15 in 4 years after the cause of action accrues. 

16 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

17 For purposes of this Act: 

18 (1) LOCALITY.—The term ‘‘locality’’ means a 

19 county, parish, city, town, township, village, or other 

20 general purpose political subdivision of a State with 

21 the power to levy taxes and to expend Federal, 

22 State, and local funds and exercise governmental 

23 powers. 

24 (2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means a State, 

25 the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 


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1 Puerto Rico, and any other territory or possession of 

2 the United States. 

3 SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

4 This Act shall take effect January 1, 2021. 

Æ 


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