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February 19, 2025

CT lawmaker’s bill would ban using state money for pro sports stadiums

Contributed Sen. Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott).
By David Krechevsky

For the fifth time in nine years, the state legislature will consider a bill to prohibit the use of public funds for professional sports stadiums.

Sen. Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott) has submitted the bill every other year since 2017, when he was a state representative. Each of the four previous bills, however, died in committee.

Sampson, though, is nothing if not persistent, and for the 2025 session he has sponsored Senate Bill 573, “An Act Prohibiting The Use Of State Funds For Stadiums For Professional Sports Teams.” This year, the bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Craig Fishbein (R-Wallingford) and Rep. Anne Dauphinais (R-Danielson)

For all five bills, including this year’s version, the stated purpose contains just seven words: 

“To prevent the misuse of state funds.”

“I submit this bill each year with a consistent message,” Sampson said in a statement emailed to Hartford Business Journal. “I support economic development initiatives across Connecticut, including private professional sports projects like stadiums. However, these private multimillion-dollar ventures should not be put on the backs of taxpayers.”

There are a couple of stadium-related projects that would be directly affected if Sampson’s bill were approved.

The Connecticut Sports Group is looking to develop a $96.2 million professional soccer stadium in Bridgeport as part of a $1.6 billion waterfront development. The project is seeking financial assistance from the state's Community Investment Fund, and last June it awarded the project $8 million.

In a separate project, the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) board of directors agreed last July to move forward with a $145 million renovation of downtown Hartford’s XL Center arena. The majority of the renovation funding for that project will come from the state, which has agreed to pay up to $125 million in costs.

In both cases, opponents have questioned whether the state will reap an economic reward for its investment.

The Connecticut Sports Group commissioned an economic impact study from the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis for its soccer stadium project. The report projects that the most ambitious iteration of the project will generate $3.4 billion in economic output and sustain 1,300 new permanent jobs annually until 2050.

Sampson, however, believes that using taxpayer money for such projects is ill-advised, “especially now, when so many residents are struggling to pay their electric bills and other necessities.”

He added, “Our government must prioritize the use of public funds to address the immediate needs of its citizens rather than subsidize private enterprises.”

The 2025 version of Sampson’s bill has been referred to the legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations.

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