SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 6508

                    As of February 6, 1998

Title:  An act relating to seat licenses in publicly owned or operated stadia.

Brief Description:  Prohibiting seat licenses in publicly owned or operated stadia.

Sponsors:  Senators Prentice, Schow, Haugen and Heavey.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Commerce & Labor:  2/6/98.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE & LABOR

Staff:  David Pringle (786-7448)

Background:  Seat licenses are rights entitling the holder to buy tickets for that licensed seat for events over a specified period of time.  The price of purchasing the tickets for the events is normally separate, or in addition, to the price of the license for that seat.

The King County Public Facilities District (PFD) was created with authority granted by the Legislature during the 1995 Special Session.  PFDs may construct, maintain, and operate sports, entertainment and convention facilities.  The King County PFD is now constructing a 46,500 seat baseball stadium in Seattle where the Seattle Mariners will commence play during the 1999 season.

The Seattle Mariners are selling 966 twenty-year seat licenses for their games in the new stadium.  Season ticket holders are being offered the opportunity, on a priority basis, to purchase seat licenses for prices ranging between $12,000 and $25,000 per seat.  These licenses will be transferable by the license holder subject to some restrictions.

Summary of Bill:  No professional sports team playing in a facility owned or operated by a public facility district may require the purchase of a seat license as a condition for the purchase of any ticket.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For:  This bill will protect families and middle-class fans, some of whom have attended Mariners games for many years to entitle them to the seats they now have in the Kingdome.  How can many people possibly afford $25,000 per seat license on a family package of four seats, for example, in addition to the season ticket costs?

Testimony Against:  This bill singles out the Seattle Mariners unfairly.  The seat license plan that the Mariners have in place covers only a small portion of the seats in the new stadium, and ticket purchasers are free to choose seats nearby that do not require purchase of a seat license.  The seat license plan the Mariners have adopted is much less expensive than that of other recent stadium projects, such as that for the Giants new stadium in San Francisco.

Testified:  PRO:  Basil Badley; CON: Rick Wickman, Seattle Mariners.