House lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation that would exempt a future Major League Soccer stadium in St. Paul from having to pay property taxes.

Materials and supplies used for stadium construction also would be tax exempt. The exemption on construction materials would expire a year after the first Major League Soccer game is played in the new stadium.

The bill was referred to the committee on taxes.

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Mural workshop, events at Victoria Theater Arts Center in St. Paul’s Frogtown this weekend and next Minnesota United team owners have said the tax exemptions are essential to moving forward with a $150 million stadium in St. Paul, though they’ve also said that they were confident the Legislature would come through. They have denied that the lack of exemptions was a hold-up for starting stadium construction.

Instead, the St. Paul Port Authority has stepped in with the intent of resolving real estate issues related to surrounding land at the Midway Shopping Center.