LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The top lawmaker in the Nevada Assembly says Gov. Joe Lombardo was advised to hold off on calling the A's ballpark special session until later this year.
In a series of tweets over the weekend, Assemblyman Steve Yeager, who serves as Speaker of the body, let his social media followers know that Lombardo's "sense of urgency was surprising" for the Major League Baseball stadium proposal. Yeager tweeted that "disregarded" advice that it would be best to call a stadium special session this summer.
With the more recent interest in the #NVLeg, particularly when it comes to #SB1 relating to the #Athletics, please allow me to provide some context related to the 35th Special Session and the #NVLeg generally. A 🧵:
— Steve Yeager (@SteveYeagerNV) June 10, 2023
"The governor called it anyway," Yeager said on the social media platform. "Normally, special sessions for policy issues are coordinated in terms of scheduling and there is a general consensus that folks are likely to be supported of the contemplated legislation."
Oakland A's ownership wants to move the baseball team to Las Vegas to play in a $1.5 billion ballpark that would be built on the current Tropicana Las Vegas site but the team wants public money to help pay for it. A stadium bill that was set to allocate $380 million in public funds — much of the total related to a special-use ballpark tax district — was introduced during Nevada's regular legislative session last month, but no votes were taken.
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Shortly after the regular session ended, Lombardo called a special session to address the ballpark issue. That session began Wednesday but no action was taken before lawmakers adjourned for the weekend.
The Nevada Senate convened today just after 11 a.m. to further discuss the stadium bill, known as Senate Bill 1, but quickly thereafter went into recess.
The bill would have to pass out of the Senate with a majority vote before it would move on to the Assembly.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have told Channel 13 that a vote in the Senate would likely be very close.
Lombardo is in favor of the stadium proposal, as are a number of influential groups, such as the Nevada Resort Association and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
