Sponsored by:
Senator ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Senator RICHARD J. CODEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits professional sports organizations operated utilizing funds primarily received from sovereign wealth funds from hosting sport or athletic events in this State.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the conduct of certain professional sport or athletic events conducted in the State of New Jersey and supplementing Title 5 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A professional sport or athletic organization that is operated utilizing funds primarily received from sovereign wealth funds shall be prohibited from hosting professional sport or athletic events in the State of New Jersey.
b. The State, a county, a municipality, or any political subdivision of the State shall not issue any permit or license in conjunction with such an event and shall suspend for a period of at least 30 days but not more than 120 days any operating permit or license held by the host or owner of any property where such an event is held.
The Attorney General shall have the authority to monitor and ensure compliance with this section by a county, municipality, political subdivision, organization, property owner, and permit or license holder.
c. As used in this section:
“Professional sport or athletic event” means an event at which two or more persons participate in sports or athletic events and receive compensation in excess of actual expenses for their participation in such event.
“Sovereign wealth fund” means a state-owned investment fund comprised of money generated by a government.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits sports organizations operated utilizing funds primarily received from sovereign wealth funds from hosting sport or athletic events in this State.
A sovereign wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund comprised of money generated by the government, often derived from a country’s surplus reserves. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the “Public Investment Fund” (PIF), is among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world and is primarily funded through the country’s large fossil fuels supply and exports.
Critics have argued that the PIF is being used to fund various “sportswashing” endeavors. “Sportswashing” is the term used to describe when a government uses sports in an attempt to improve the government’s global image. As a recent New York Times article has pointed out, “Critics of the tournament note that American intelligence officials concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, ordered the killing and dismemberment of the dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018; that 81 men were executed in Saudi Arabia in a single day in March, calling into question the fairness of its criminal justice system; and that Saudi women did not receive permission to drive until 2018 after a longstanding ban and still must receive permission from a male relative to make many decisions in their lives.”
LIV Golf is a professional golf tour established in 2022 that is funded by the PIF and includes several former PGA Tour golf professionals. LIV Golf has hosted three events this season, including an event at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey.
This bill would prohibit a professional sport or athletic organization that is operated utilizing funds primarily received from sovereign wealth funds from hosting professional sport or athletic events in the State of New Jersey. This prohibition would include LIV Golf from hosting future events in New Jersey. The State, a county, a municipality, or any political subdivision of the State is prohibited from issuing any permit or license in conjunction with such an event and must suspend for a period of at least 30 days but not more than 120 days any operating permit or license held by the host or owner of any property where such an event is held.
The Attorney General will have the authority to monitor and ensure compliance with this section by a county, municipality, political subdivision, organization, property owner, and permit or license holder.