Image: A rendering of new Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Image Credit: Nissan Motor Corporation
The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill into law that will allow Tennessee’s Department of Tourism to hide negotiated contracts for a potential Super Bowl and other events for up to 10 years.
The bill requires the records to be retained for at least five years after the 10-year exemption window.
The confidential items can be released 10 years after the date of the document, after the disbursement of state funds, the conclusion of the event and the expiration of the contract.
“I can’t see how anything can be held secret for 10 years,” Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, said during floor discussion of the bill. “That’s a long time.”
Department of Tourism Commissioner Mark Ezell recently said the department has $25 million in a mega event fund it can use for contracts related to a Super Bowl, Final Four or WWE-type large event. The funding came from last year’s Tennessee budget appropriations.
Rep. Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, said during House discussion that the bill would help bring the Super Bowl to Nashville in 2028, 2029 or 2030 after new Nissan Stadium is scheduled to open in 2027.
Lawmakers committed a $500 million subsidy for construction of new Nissan Stadium along with significant tax captures that contribute to an estimated $3.1 billion fund to pay off bonds and contribute to future maintenance and infrastructure at the site.
About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.
5 Responses
Can you explain why this might be a good idea?
Sure. It helps to cover up incompetence and corruption. It is quite literally the only possible explanation. Just hope we can take this to court and have the information exposed. Probably as likely as the rest of the “copyrighted” tranny shooter manifesto being released.
Well we all know, the ‘who, what, where and when’ of this bill….it is SPECIFICALLY designed to HIDE the revelations of the ‘politicians’ who were on the ‘take’ FOR the TERRIBLE TITANS and their uber rich, elite ownership! What a crock. How many of our state and local political leaders were on the TITAN LOBBY PAYROLL? You can bet it was PLENTY, and SHAMEFULLY, the tax payers will NOT know for more than 10 years, just how much MONEY passed hands, but ULTIMATELY the taxpayers will be on the HOOK for hundreds of millions of our hard earned dollars…..in any other WORLD this would be a CRIME punishable with more than 10 years of hard labor! Shame on you Governor Lee and the State of Tennessee Legislature! Shame!
Anything “of God” is open and above board.
I guess the CONTRACT would show which POLITICIANS and others are getting KICK BACKS laundering money at the TAX Payers expense!! In 10 years these people will be long gone and NO ONE held ACCOUNTABLE!! A LICIENCE to STEAL in plain sight. Time to go to COURT to open the BOOKS!!