$30 million in state funding for Progressive Field upgrades clears Ohio legislature

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Throughout a marathon end-of-year session early Thursday morning, the Ohio Normal Meeting accredited $30 million to make updates to Progressive Discipline.

Home Invoice 66, which now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine, additionally would codify in state legislation a latest Ohio Supreme Courtroom ruling that Maple Heights can’t cost Netflix or Hulu charges which might be usually paid by cable firms.

Final January, the Cleveland Guardians agreed to a lease extension that may preserve the baseball workforce at Progressive Discipline by way of no less than 2036. As a part of the deal, the town of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and the state of Ohio agreed to assist pay for upgrades to the ballpark, together with altering the under-utilized Terrace Membership, making the higher deck concourse a extra participating social area, and increasing social and seating choices behind residence plate.

The cash, which might come from the state’s Cultural and Sports activities Amenities Constructing Fund, was inserted into HB66 by the Ohio Senate Methods and Means Committee on Tuesday.

Cleveland.com/The Plain Supplier has reached out to a Guardians spokesman for remark.

The invoice, if enacted, additionally would applicable a further $30 million from Ohio’s share of federal coronavirus support to present grants to 6 minor-league baseball groups across the state – the Akron Rubber Geese, Dayton Dragons, Lake County Captains, Lake Erie Crushers, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, and Toledo Mud Hens. Two minor-league hockey franchises – the Cincinnati Cyclones and Toledo Walleye – additionally have been accredited for the grant cash.

The quantity of the grants shall be based mostly on every workforce’s income in 2019, earlier than the coronavirus disaster arose in 2020, forcing minor-league groups in Ohio and across the nation to cancel their season and hemorrhage cash.

DeWine, talking with reporters Thursday morning, stated minor-league groups have been “disregarded” of the federal coronavirus support payments.

“This was an try, frankly, to place them on the identical footing with different, quote, ‘shuttered’ venues,” DeWine stated.

Some Ohio minor-league groups have already gotten monetary help to enhance their services. The Lake County Captains put in new lights at their ballpark in Eastlake due to $700,000 in federal COVID-19 support offered by the county. Final month, the town of Dayton gave the Dragons $6 million to assist renovate their stadium.

HB66 additionally would insert into state legislation that Ohio cities can’t cost on-line streaming providers the identical price they cost to cable firms.

In 2020, Maple Heights led a class-action lawsuit of about 2,000 communities in opposition to Netflix and Hulu, arguing they need to should additionally pay the cable price – in Ohio, 5% of every firm’s gross revenues within the metropolis – as a result of, like cable firms, streaming web providers depend on wires and cables that run by way of public rights of method.

Nevertheless, late final month the Ohio Supreme Courtroom dominated that streaming providers have been completely different than cable firms, as streaming providers don’t place their very own wires or tools. The courtroom additionally held that Maple Heights didn’t have the authority to sue.

HB66 was launched in March 2021 as a way more innocuous invoice: it initially required the Ohio Tax Commissioner’s biennial report on state tax expenditures to incorporate data on property tax exemptions.

The laws handed a ultimate Home vote round 5 a.m. on Thursday, as lawmakers labored by way of the night time to wrap up their enterprise for the 12 months.

Jeremy Pelzer covers state authorities and politics for Cleveland.com and The Plain Supplier. Learn extra of his work right here.