The WA State Legislature approved legislation to place
a bill regarding a new Seahawks stadium on the statewide
ballot "on or before June 20," according to David Postman of
the SEATTLE TIMES. The vote "signaled the start of a high-
intensity, seven week campaign aimed at voters statewide."
The Senate approved the measure by a 28-21 vote, which
"lacked the drama" of the House vote Friday, where
legislators debated the bill for 5 1/2 hours and considered
more than 100 amendments. Voters will now decide on "a
package of tax increases, tax breaks and new lottery games"
to pay for a new $425M Seahawks stadium. The plan calls for
demolishing the Kingdome and erecting a new 72,000-seat,
open-air stadium in its place, with an adjacent 325,000-
square-foot exhibition hall and a parking garage for 1,000
cars. The bill calls for potential Seahawks Owner Paul
Allen to pay the estimated $4M cost of the election (SEATTLE
TIMES, 4/27). Of the 56 voting for the bill in the House,
28 were Rep. and 28 were Democrat, and the 41 votes against
were divided into 28 Rep. and 13 Democrats. The TIMES'
Postman wrote the vote "reflects lawmakers' ongoing
insistence that neither party be portrayed as the true
backers of the measure (SEATTLE TIMES, 4/26).
