The legislation that would green-light the new Oakland A’s stadium on the site of Tropicana Las Vegas has once again been stalled and won’t be seen until Monday.
Senate was adjourned until Monday following a hearing that lasted around five hours earlier this week, in which lawmakers sharply scrutinized the $1.5bn development, which seeks $380m in public funding.
Governor Lombardo demanded the bill go into a special session in a bid to push the legislation – which would see the Oakland A’s finally find a new home – through the legislature this year.
Despite the lengthy hearing earlier this week, there was little activity on Thursday and the session has been adjourned until Monday. The weekend will be used, presumably, to drum up support ahead of a potential vote next week.
As reported by the Review Journal, a lot of the contention stems from the bill’s requirement to provide $380m in public funding for the project, with other political properties left off the legislative agenda this year.
Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, who is the Senator for Las Vegas, argued: “I just want to get this correct. You called us in here for a special session and are asking minimally for the state to give you all $36m per year for the next five years for a taxpayer-funded stadium at the same time that the governor has vetoed funding for summer school, a bill to support children’s mental health, a bill requiring paid family leave all because the governor said we couldn’t afford it?”
This sentiment is clearly widespread in the upper chamber, with this adjournment almost certainly explaining that the simple majority required to pass this bill simply isn’t there at the moment.
However, before any vote, there will likely be a further reading, where amendments could be made to the bill, which could ultimately kill off any hope for the Oakland A’s and its plans to find a home in Vegas.
