NC House Speaker Skeptical About Public Financing for MLB Bid, Setting up Possible Budget Battle

Berger, Stein fuel baseball expansion fire

(The Center Square) – Stopping short of saying spend taxpayer dollars, North Carolina’s legislative upper chamber leader says he favors the General Assembly doing all it can to help land a Major League Baseball expansion franchise.

NC House speaker skeptical about public financing for MLB bid, setting up possible budget battle

North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall expressed skepticism about the possibility Friday, one day after state Senate leader Phil Berger said it’d be nearly impossible to land a franchise without public dollars. Hall said he’d consider it if the project promised clear economic benefits.

Berger floats state role in Raleigh MLB bid

The push to bring Major League Baseball to Raleigh is gaining political momentum, after the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup championship. Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, speaking on the Senate floor, indicated that state lawmakers may consider supporting efforts to help North Carolina secure an expansion team. Berger confirmed Thursday that there could be money in the state budget for baseball, but did not provide specifics. “I’d be in…