Bill to help relocate Washington Capitals, Wizards sails through 1st Virginia legislative hearing

Source: Associated Press

Bill to help relocate Washington Capitals, Wizards sails through 1st Virginia legislative hearing

BY SARAH RANKIN AND MATTHEW BARAKAT
Updated 5:53 PM EST, February 9, 2024

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Legislation underpinning a plan to relocate the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals across the Potomac River to northern Virginia easily cleared an early hurdle in the state legislature Friday.

Lawmakers on the Virginia House Appropriations Committee voted 17-3 to advance the measure, a top priority of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, to the floor of the House of Delegates. Though the bill passed overwhelmingly, several senior Democratic legislators took care to say that their support for the measure at this point was in the interest of keeping negotiations over the deal going.

“This process is going to take the rest of our session at a minimum to enact or not enact this legislation,” Democratic Del. Mark Sickles of Fairfax County, who supported the bill, said before the committee vote.

The legislation could result in a legacy-defining project for Youngkin, a former college basketball player. Virginia is the nation’s most populous state without a major pro-sports franchise, something government officials of both parties over the course of decades have sought to change.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-capitals-alexandria-arena-plan-4909bd79280fd5716d9130c253d75573