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Hannon calls game on baseball bill By JESSICA SMITH A bill to build a major-league baseball stadium is stranded at first base. Sen. Lenn Hannon, an Ashland Republican, said Tuesday he won't move House Bill 2941 out of the Legislature's Joint Ways and Means Committee. The bill narrowly passed the House on Friday with a 31-27 vote. On the Senate floor Tuesday, the bill was referred to committee. Hannon, Ways and Means co-chairman, said he won't give the bill a hearing. "It's dead on arrival," he added. "It's not worth spending one penny on." Hannon said he planned to announce his decision today on the Senate floor. Under the bill, the state would use $150 million in lottery-backed bonds to help build the baseball stadium. Backers planned to revise the bill to reduce by half the reliance on lottery bonds, replacing the money with funds generated by an income tax on major-league players. Steve Kanter, president of the Oregon Baseball Coalition, said he was unaware that Hannon planned to strike down the bill. "I would hope that he (Hannon) would be willing to take a hard look at the merits before staking out a position," said Kanter, who has been working for more than a year to bring major-league baseball to Portland. With teams such as the Montreal Expos, Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Devil Rays struggling to attract fans, Kanter and others want to have stadium plans in place if a franchise chooses to move. "I really hope we take the long view here," Kanter said. "I'm persuaded this is our one window of opportunity in Oregon" to attract a major-league team. Though the bill requires a lot of money to begin with, Kanter and other backers say a major-league team could bring as much as $500 million to Oregon over the next 25 years. But Hannon said he agrees with HB 2941 opponents, who say the bill would divert too much money away from much-needed infrastructure projects in Southern Oregon and other rural parts of the state. The state has higher priorities than building baseball stadiums, Hannon said. "I support baseball, don't get me wrong," he added. "But I think this plan is ill-conceived." Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.