HR0480 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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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 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

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND 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.