Nevada lawmakers to debate proposal for Major League Baseball stadium

A long-awaited proposal to finance a Major League Baseball stadium on the Las Vegas Strip will be heard public for the first time on Monday, May 29 in the Nevada Legislature. Lawmakers are considering a proposal to finance and incentivize construction of a Major League Baseball stadium on the Las Vegas Strip, with an initial public hearing scheduled Monday at the Nevada Legislature.

The program would allow for up to $380 million in incentives, mainly via state transferable tax credits and county bonds to provide a new home for the Oakland Athletics. The state would earn up to $180 million in transferable tax credits, with a cap of $36 million per year. The county bonds amounting to $120 million would finance construction expenses and be paid off gradually.

The proposals' price tag and behind-the-scene negotiations have generated debate about public subsidies and equity in state economic development efforts.

State lawmakers also are considering billions of dollars in tax credits to bring major Hollywood studios to Las Vegas. The governor's office of economic development has approved hundreds of millions in tax abatements for Tesla in efforts to broaden Nevada's tourism and gaming-based economy.

The stadium funding bill was introduced late Friday night, after more than a month of speculation, as the A s move away from Oakland appears increasingly imminent. As of Monday morning, it is already the most-commented on proposal this session with more than 1,500 views - nearly three-quarters of which are in opposition.

Proponents say that Las Vegas has a growing capacity to support major league pro sports, and that bringing the Athletics to the Strip would provide sustainable jobs to an area hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Opponents say the stadium is not worth hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies to bring another large corporation on the Las Vegas Strip, especially as A's management has switched proposed locations and drawn out negotiations for how much public assistance they are requesting.

The A s have been searching for a home to replace the Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since 1968 after departing Kansas City. The team originally sought to build a stadium in California at Fremont, then San Jose, and finally the Oakland waterfront - ideas that never materialized.

Lawmakers will have until June 5 to act on the proposal, when the four-month legislative session adjourns. Although it could potentially be revised later, if a special session is called, it could potentially be reviewed.

The plan is uncertain yet, he said, but said it was not yet clear what it will do. Democrats said finance bills, including for the A s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Bill Clinton doesn't approve them. Joe Lombardo has vowed to veto several Democratic-backed spending bills if his legislative priorities are not addressed.

A corps member of the Associated Press Report for America Statehouse News Initiative, Stern is a corps member of the Associated Press. Report for America is a nonprofit national service initiative that places journalists in local newsrooms.