Bill Text: IL HR0040 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urges the General Assembly to take all necessary steps to ensure that no state or local taxpayer money is used in the construction of new professional sport stadiums.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-02-07 - Referred to Rules Committee [HR0040 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0040-Introduced.html

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HR0040 LRB103 29851 MST 56260 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The cost of construction of new state of the art
professional sport stadiums has increased over time; the cost
of recently built state of the art professional football
stadiums has often exceeded $1 billion and obliterated
original financial estimates; these stadiums are funded
through a variety of methods, including private investors as
well as taxpayer funding from state and local governments; and
WHEREAS, Public funding has been used as a tactic for
professional sports teams to leverage state and local
governments against each other in order to get a better deal on
stadium financing; and
WHEREAS, Low income and minority communities in Illinois
have been historically underfunded and have lacked sufficient
investment; and
WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed the need to
use taxpayer dollars to reinvest in communities, health care,
schools, and infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, Public funding has been used in the construction
or maintenance of most stadiums in the National Football
League; only SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and

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Chargers, and MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and
Jets, were completed with 100% private funding; recently, over
$750 million in public funds was used to finance Allegiant
Stadium in Las Vegas, and $498 million in public funds was used
to finance US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis; and
WHEREAS, Public funding has also been used for
professional baseball, basketball, and soccer stadiums; for
example, Cincinnati taxpayers funded over 86% of the Red's
Great American Ball Park; and
WHEREAS, There is no assurance that residents of a
taxpayer-funded stadium will remain at their new home; history
has shown that professional sports clubs move across country
lines as in MLB's Montreal Expos moving and becoming the
Washington Nationals, state lines as in the NFL's Oakland/Los
Angeles Raiders moving from California to Nevada and the NFL's
St. Louis Rams moving from Missouri to California, and
intrastate relocations as well as in MLS's Chicago Fire
leaving their soccer-specific stadium in Bridgeview to return
to Chicago's Soldier Field; and
WHEREAS, As Illinois edges closer and closer to financial
solvency, we cannot afford to spend taxpayer funds on stadiums
when funding for critical social services remains uncertain;
therefore, be it

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RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
the General Assembly is urged to take all necessary steps to
ensure that no state or local taxpayer money is used in the
construction of new professional sport stadiums.