[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 704 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 704

   To require the general application of the antitrust laws to major 
                league baseball, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 12, 1997

  Mr. Bunning  (for himself and Mr. Conyers) introduced the following 
       bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the general application of the antitrust laws to major 
                league baseball, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Major League Baseball Antitrust 
Reform Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF THE ANTITRUST LAWS TO PROFESSIONAL MAJOR LEAGUE 
              BASEBALL.

    The Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. 12 et seq.) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section:
    ``Sec. 27. (a) Subject to subsection (b), the antitrust laws shall 
apply to the business of professional major league baseball.
    ``(b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect--
            ``(1) the applicability or nonapplicability of the 
        antitrust laws to professional baseball's amateur draft, the 
        minor league reserve clause, the Professional Baseball 
        Agreement, or any other matter relating to the minor leagues;
            ``(2) the applicability or nonapplicability of the 
        antitrust laws to any restraint by professional baseball on 
        franchise relocation; or
            ``(3) the application of Public Law 87-331 (15 U.S.C. 1291 
        et seq.) (commonly known as the Sports Broadcasting Act of 
        1961).''.
                                 <all>