RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A Virginia House of Delegates panel has voted against two bills that would’ve barred state subsidies for a new Washington Redskins stadium and blocked localities from spending public money on professional sports facilities.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports a budget subcommittee’s 7-0 vote Wednesday effectively killed the bills. Republican Del. Michael Webert says he was inspired to file them by research showing facilities aren’t worth the millions of dollars governments are often asked to spend toward helping teams build them.
One bill would’ve created an agreement with Maryland and Washington, D.C., not to offer the Redskins incentives like tax breaks. The other would bar offering incentives for stadiums starting in 2019.
The report said the legislation could’ve complicated Richmond’s long-running quest to build a new stadium for minor-league baseball’s Richmond Flying Squirrels.
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