Washington D.C.’s non-voting Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill Wednesday that would strip tax-exempt status from professional sports teams that associate with the Redskins team name, which she said “has officially been found offensive.”
Norton’s bill is a companion measure to one offered by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wa.
Norton, a Democrat, cited a recent decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to deny the renewal of the Redskins name, which is currently under appeal by team owner Daniel Snyder.
“Continued use of the current team name and mascot is not only inconsistent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision, but what’s even worse is that U.S. taxpayers must bear the burden of subsidizing a multibillion-dollar industry and its use of a racial slur for profit,” Norton said.
Norton has also called on the Federal Communications Commission to “begin its own process to prevent on-air use of the team name.”
The Senate, which remains under Democratic control until January, has not considered Cantwell’s legislation. Norton’s bill has virtually no chance of consideration in the Republican-controlled House.
