House Committee Sacks Stadium Bill

In a legislative maneuver more symbolic than strategic, a House committee on Wednesday gutted Gov. Gary Locke’s 38-page proposal to build a new football stadium for the Seattle Seahawks.

Rep. Steve Van Luven said the bill was reduced to one page - only the title and a statement of intent remain - because there weren’t enough votes get the original version out of the House Trade and Economic Development Committee before a key legislative deadline. The panel approved the stripped version.

Van Luven, the committee chairman and sponsor of the bill, HB2192, said too many of his colleagues object to proposed increases in a statewide tax on licensed sports items and the King County tax on rental cars, key funding components of the $402 million stadium plan.

He said many lawmakers want Locke and Football Northwest, the group formed by billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, to develop other funding options. One new possibility is a higher admissions tax on events in state-owned facilities in Seattle, such as the University of Washington and the convention center, Van Luven said.

“Football Northwest is going to have to come to the realization that this bill is not acceptable to the committee,” he said.