PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3] · D–MI
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 22, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.10286 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposal would limit concession prices at publicly supported venues with at least 10,000 seats, excluding venues at higher education institutions. For concessions sold under covered space-rental agreements, prices could be no more than 7 percent above comparable prices in the nearest metropolitan area. It would also require qualified efforts to encourage rental opportunities for small businesses and prohibit charging them a fee for the right to sell, while allowing commercial leases and certain cost reimbursements.
(4) Covered stadium The term covered stadium— (A) means a venue that— (i) receives public funding; and (ii) has a capacity of at least 10,000 seats; and (B) does not include any venue at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)).
(A) for any commercial lease with respect to the covered stadium, to the extent possible, ensure that any contract for concessions services encourages a provider of concessions services to make available to small businesses concessions locations for lease or sublicense; and (B) for any concessions sold or offered for sale at the covered stadium by an entity pursuant to a lease described in subparagraph (A), ensure the price of such concessions is not more than 7 percent higher than market rate.
(5) Market rate The term market rate, with respect to a good or service sold or offered for sale, means the price of a comparable good or service sold or offered for sale in the nearest metropolitan area (as determined by the Office of Management and Budget).
(2) Prohibition (A) In general A covered stadium, with respect to a small business, may not charge a fee for the right to sell or offer for sale any concessions to a patron who attends an event at the covered stadium. (B) Rule of construction Nothing in subparagraph (A) may be construed to prohibit any agreement with respect to— (i) the reimbursement of actual operating costs, utility charges, or equipment purchases or improvements; or (ii) a commercial lease.
Section 1 would name the legislation the Consumer Affordability and Pricing Concessions Act.
1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Consumer Affordability and Pricing Concessions Act.
The proposed rules would cover venues receiving public funding with capacity for at least 10,000 seats. Venues at qualifying higher education institutions would be excluded. Public funding would include federal grants and subsidies, tax exemptions, tax abatements—reductions in taxes owed—and borrowing through tax-exempt bonds.
(4) Covered stadium The term covered stadium— (A) means a venue that— (i) receives public funding; and (ii) has a capacity of at least 10,000 seats; and (B) does not include any venue at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)).
(6) Public funding The term public funding includes the following: (A) A Federal grant. (B) A Federal subsidy. (C) A tax exemption. (D) A tax abatement. (E) A tax-exempt bond issuance.
For concession-space agreements, covered venues would have to ensure, to the extent possible, that concession-service contracts encourage providers to make locations available for small businesses to rent or sublicense. This is a qualified requirement to encourage opportunities, rather than a guarantee that a small business receives a location. Covered agreements would include leases, licenses, sublicenses and other arrangements for renting concession space.
(1) Requirements A covered stadium shall— (A) for any commercial lease with respect to the covered stadium, to the extent possible, ensure that any contract for concessions services encourages a provider of concessions services to make available to small businesses concessions locations for lease or sublicense;
(1) Commercial lease The term commercial lease means a lease, license, sublicense or other agreement for the purpose of renting a space to sell concessions.
Covered venues would have to ensure that concession prices charged or offered by entities operating under the specified rental agreements are no more than 7 percent above market rate. The benchmark would be the price of a comparable good or service sold or offered in the nearest metropolitan area, as determined by the Office of Management and Budget. The price rule is not expressly limited to small-business sellers.
(B) for any concessions sold or offered for sale at the covered stadium by an entity pursuant to a lease described in subparagraph (A), ensure the price of such concessions is not more than 7 percent higher than market rate.
(5) Market rate The term market rate, with respect to a good or service sold or offered for sale, means the price of a comparable good or service sold or offered for sale in the nearest metropolitan area (as determined by the Office of Management and Budget).
Covered venues could not charge small businesses a fee for the right to sell or offer concessions to people attending an event at the venue.
(2) Prohibition (A) In general A covered stadium, with respect to a small business, may not charge a fee for the right to sell or offer for sale any concessions to a patron who attends an event at the covered stadium.
The fee prohibition would still allow commercial leases and agreements to reimburse actual operating costs, utility charges, or equipment purchases or improvements. It would therefore not require free concession space or prohibit all payments by small businesses.
(B) Rule of construction Nothing in subparagraph (A) may be construed to prohibit any agreement with respect to— (i) the reimbursement of actual operating costs, utility charges, or equipment purchases or improvements; or (ii) a commercial lease.
The proposal would define concessions by reference to the federal food-law definition of food, and small businesses by reference to the Small Business Act's definition of a small business concern. Those definitions are not reproduced in the supplied text.
(3) Concessions The term concessions has the same meaning given the term food in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).
(7) Small business The term small business has the meaning given the term small business concern in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).
The Federal Trade Commission would enforce the proposed requirements and fee prohibition. Violations would be treated as violations of a federal rule against unfair or deceptive practices, using the enforcement powers, penalties and legal protections incorporated from the Federal Trade Commission Act.
(b) Enforcement (1) Unfair or deceptive acts or practices A violation of subsection (a) shall be treated as a violation of a regulation under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)) regarding unfair or deceptive acts or practices.
(2) Powers of the Commission The Commission shall enforce subsection (a) in the same manner, by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and made a part of this section, and any person who violates such subsection shall be subject to the penalties and entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in the Federal Trade Commission Act.
(2) Commission The term Commission means the Federal Trade Commission.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated September 22, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on September 3, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-22T18:34:59Z. 2026-09-03: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2026-09-03: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of riders in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish what other versions or disclosure materials contain.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text contains an institutional exemption from the main regulatory policy. Identifying it does not establish that the exemption is unjustified.
Venues at qualifying higher education institutions would be exempt from the proposed stadium rules even if they receive public funding and have at least 10,000 seats. This gives those venues an institutional carve-out from the price and concession requirements that would otherwise apply.
(4) Covered stadium The term covered stadium— (A) means a venue that— (i) receives public funding; and (ii) has a capacity of at least 10,000 seats; and (B) does not include any venue at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)).
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 22, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI