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Senator Bratton introduces stadium-financing bill that relies on donations, proposes caps on food and beverage markups
Summary
Senator Bratton presented a stadium financing measure he described as a voluntary, donation-based alternative to taxpayer-funded stadium construction; the bill includes incentives for large donors and a 20% cap on food and beer prices for facilities using the program.
Senator Bratton introduced a trio of measures related to stadium financing and taxation and described a voluntary, donation-based approach to stadium funding.
“Instead of taxpayer dollars going to fund these stadiums, this is, setting up a fund that's like a GoFundMe, and it's called the No Taxation All Donation Act to ensure that if people across the state wish to, invest in these stadiums, that They can do so, but on their own accord,” Bratton said after the bill reading. He said the proposal would offer incentives for donors, for example stating that donors who give more than $10,000 would be able to obtain free parking and access.
Bratton also described a companion provision he called the “No Dog in the Fight Act,” which would place a cap on cafeteria and concession pricing at facilities that use the donation mechanism. “This would put a cap of 20% on all food and beer that's sold, if they're obtaining these sorts of funds, for the facility to ensure that people aren't being gouged,” he said on the floor.
Bratton framed the measures as an option for communities that want new stadiums without relying on tax revenue, and he said the bills were intended to “incentivize” private giving. The bills were read on the floor for introduction; the transcript does not record committee referral, amendment or floor votes on the measures in the provided excerpt.
Quoted passages are taken verbatim from Bratton’s floor remarks in the transcript.
