Virginia bill to build NFL stadium pushed to special session; felon voting rights dead

By Tyler Arnold

(The Center Square) – Virginia legislation that would establish a funding stream to build a new NFL stadium for the Washington Commanders will be pushed to a special session, but a resolution to enshrine felon voting rights in the constitution is dead.

After lawmakers failed to reach agreements on several bills before the end of the regular legislative session, the House of Delegates agreed to carry some bills over to a special session, which has yet to be scheduled. The bills include proposals that would establish a funding stream to build a new Commanders stadium in Northern Virginia.

In December 2021, Potomac Local News reported two sites in Prince William County are under consideration. The first, dubbed Prince William Landing, at the Horner Road Commuter lot at Intestate 95 and Prince William Parkway, and the second on the Potomac River in the Potomac Shores neighborhood near Dumfries.

Legislative leaders from both chambers support the creation of a new Virginia Football Stadium Authority, which would have the right to issue up to $1 billion worth of bonds to help construct the stadium. However, the Senate and House of Delegates have yet to settle some disagreements on the bills’ specifics.

The House version, House Bill 1353, would require the Commanders to pay for at least 50% of their stadium. Both versions would return 2% of the sales tax received from anything bought in the stadium back to the team, but the Senate version, Senate Bill 272, would also give the team 2% of the income tax collected on salaries for executives.

Several other bills will also be carried over into the special session. This includes House Bill 177, which would reinstate the witness requirement for absentee ballots, House Bill 736, which would broaden the times during which police can execute a search warrant and House Bill 1339, which would redefine laws related to police using facial recognition technology on campuses.

However, when the legislature adjourned its regular session, two resolutions to establish state constitutional amendments were killed. If they had passed, they would have been put on the next general ballot. Senate Joint Resolution 1 would have supported an amendment to automatically grant voting rights to all felons at the time they are released. Senate Joint Resolution 5 would have removed language from the constitution that prohibits same-sex marriage, although the current language is moot following a Supreme Court ruling.