Finance Committee OK's $2M to help Packers host NFL draft
MADISON Wis. (CBS 58) -- Republicans on the Legislature's budget committee approved setting aside $2 million in the upcoming state budget to help Green Bay host the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Department of Tourism would secure those dollars in part of the $20 million in state funding Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee reserved for the 2023-2025 budget.
It comes days after the NFL announced Green Bay will host the event which officials estimated will draw 240,000 visitors to Wisconsin and generate $20 million for the area, including $94 million across the state.
Two Green Bay area lawmakers, Sen. Rob Cowles and Rep. David Steffen, submitted a motion to the finance committee last month requesting a $2 million grant to help promote the draft.
"Today’s action by the Joint Committee on Finance will help to ensure we have the basic resources for a memorable week," Cowles said in a statement.
Funding from the state will pair with the Green Bay Packers' agreement to provide a $1 million, in addition to $4.5 million in local funding for a total anticipated event cost of $7.5 million.
The costs will help pay for venue space, staff, parking, promotion and public safety, Cowles said.
Green Bay will not see those funds until the Legislature approves the biennium budget, which also needs approval from Gov. Tony Evers.
Democrats on the committee voted against the budget proposal, not because of what the money would be used for, but because they said it wasn't enough to promote all what Wisconsin has to offer.
"I want to make sure we don't leave the debate on tourism today that there is only one event, like the NFL draft, or we reserve these dollars only for sporting events like that," Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) said. "There are so many events, competitions and conventions out there and they are going places."
To help the state remain competitive and land major events, Democrats argued more funding for the tourism industry is needed. Sen. LaTonya Johnson, a Milwaukee Democrat, referenced the $10 million in federal Covid aid Gov. Evers allocated to bolster the industry in an effort to "keep our economy afloat."
"We can't continue to fund tourism at the level that we did in the past because it's not working," Johnson said.
According to the latest figures from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, Wisconsin tourism generated $20.9 billion in total economic impact, including 102.3 million visitor trips in 2021 during the pandemic.