The federal government has offered COVID-19 relief funding to states, cities and towns, schools, restaurants, movie theaters and so-called shuttered arts venues.

But a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress are now asking: “What about Minor League Baseball?”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced Monday he has co-sponsored the “Saving Minor League Baseball Act,” which would provide up to $550 million in relief to minor league teams forced to shut down for the 2020 baseball season at significant financial losses. The proposal would offer up to $10 million to teams in the first round based on their level of financial loss, Blumenthal said, and up to half their first grant in a second round. The program would be administered by the Small Business Administration.

Blumenthal compared the proposal to the recent “Save Our Stages Act,” which provided COVID-19 grants to performing arts centers, and relief packages to restaurants and movie theaters. He said minor league teams, which do not receive lucrative TV revenue and could not function with empty stadiums, were left out of those relief packages.

“Minor league clubs were fully invested,” Blumenthal said of the canceled 2020 season. “They employed staff, incurred overhead and suffered catastrophic losses.”

In Connecticut, the proposal would apply to the Norwich Sea Unicorns and the Hartford Yard Goats. While Hartford remains affiliated with a Major League Baseball team — the Colorado Rockies — Norwich lost its affiliation with the Detroit Tigers in the controversial minor league contraction that started this year. The team now is a summer wooden bat collegiate team in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

Blumenthal said Monday that since Norwich would have played as an affiliated minor league team for the canceled 2020 season, the team would qualify under the relief plan.

Blumenthal announced the plan at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford Monday and plans to hold a news conference at the Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium in Norwich July 6 with the Sea Unicorns.

“We appreciate the efforts and support of Senator Blumenthal and his colleagues,” Sea Unicorns General Manager Dave Schermerhorn said Monday. “We hope the legislation will be able to provide assistance to the Sea Unicorns and other teams adversely affected by the impacts of COVID-19.”

Blumenthal stressed Monday that the bill has strong bipartisan support, with co-sponsor Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., in the Senate and a bipartisan group in the House of Representatives as well. The bill has been introduced and would head to the Consumer Protection Subcommittee, which Blumenthal chairs, and Blackburn serves as ranking member.

But Blumenthal said the measure also could be attached to a proposed infrastructure bill being considered as an alternative process.

c.bessette@theday.com