CHICAGO — U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Representative Greg Casar introduced the Home Team Act in Congress, a bill that would require owners of professional sports teams to give local communities a one-year opportunity to buy a franchise before relocating it. The legislation comes as the Chicago Bears consider a potential move from Illinois to Hammond, Indiana.

Under the Home Team Act, a relocation would be defined as crossing state lines or moving to a different metropolitan area. During the one-year notice period, community members would be allowed to purchase the franchise at fair market value. Eligible buyers under the bill would include private individuals, government entities, companies, or community ownership models.

"Sports in America should be about more than just making billionaire owners even richer," Casar said. "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."

California Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, who represents Oakland, California, in the U.S. House of Representatives, is a co-sponsor of the bill. Oakland has experienced a series of professional sports departures: the Golden State Warriors relocated from Oakland to San Francisco, the Oakland Raiders moved to Nevada, and the Oakland Athletics are scheduled to relocate in 2028.

The Bears' owners purchased a site in Arlington Heights, Illinois — approximately 25 miles north of Chicago — for a proposed new stadium, but negotiations over property taxes have stalled construction. The team is now considering Hammond as an alternative destination. On Feb. 26, the Indiana legislature passed a bill authorizing state funding in Hammond to support the potential relocation. The Bears currently play at Soldier Field, a rental, open-air venue located on the shore of Lake Michigan that has the smallest seating capacity in the NFL. The franchise is valued at approximately $8.9 billion.

Sanders, a native of Brooklyn, New York, was a childhood fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers before the team announced its relocation to Los Angeles in 1957, when Sanders was 16 years old. The Green Bay Packers offer one existing model of community ownership in professional football. The team is owned by more than 500,000 shareholders, and no individual shareholder is allowed to own more than 200,000 shares.

The Home Team Act would need to pass both chambers of Congress before being signed into law. The bill was introduced amid broader debates over public funding for professional sports venues.