To encourage serious negotiations between the major league baseball players and the owners of major league baseball in order to prevent a strike by the players or a lockout by the owners so that the fans will be able to enjoy the remainder of the baseball season, the playoffs, and the World Series.

August 12, 1994

Mr. OWENS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

To encourage serious negotiations between the major league baseball players and the owners of major league baseball in order to prevent a strike by the players or a lockout by the owners so that the fans will be able to enjoy the remainder of the baseball season, the playoffs, and the World Series.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Baseball Fans Protection Act of 1994'.

SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF THE ANTITRUST LAWS TO MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IN EXCEPTIONAL AND EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.

The Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. 12 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

`SEC. 27. (a) IN GENERAL- In the event that a unilateral term or condition is imposed by any party that has been subject to an agreement between the owners of major league baseball and the labor organization representing the players of major league baseball , the antitrust laws shall apply to that term or condition.

`(b) TERMINATION OF EFFECTIVENESS- Subsection (a) shall cease to be effective upon the mutual adoption of an agreement between the owners of major league baseball and the labor organization representing the players of major league baseball to replace the basic agreement between the two parties that expired on December 31, 1993, but subsection (a) shall continue to apply to conduct occurring prior to the adoption of such an agreement.

`(c) DEFINITION- In this section, `term or condition' does not include a strike or a lockout.'.