To provide that professional baseball teams, and leagues composed of such teams, shall be subject to the antitrust laws.

January 4, 1995

Mr. BILIRAKIS (for himself, Mr. JACOBS, Mr. BUNNING of Kentucky, and Mr. OWENS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

To provide that professional baseball teams, and leagues composed of such teams, shall be subject to the antitrust laws.

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

SECTION 1. FINDING.

The Congress finds that the business of providing for profit public baseball games between teams of professional baseball players in a league and between such teams of rival leagues is in, or affects, interstate commerce.

SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF ANTITRUST LAWS TO PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL .

The antitrust laws shall apply to the business of providing for profit public baseball games between teams of professional baseball players and to leagues composed of teams of professional baseball players.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION.

For purposes of this Act, the term `antitrust laws' has the meaning given it in subsection (a) of the first section of the Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. 12(a)), except that such term includes section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 45) to the extent that such section 5 relates to unfair methods of competition.

SEC. 4. APPLICATION OF SECTION 2.

Section 2 shall not apply with respect to conduct occurring before the date of the enactment of this Act.