Minnesota House Passes Stadium Bill Late Monday, Faces Senate Vote Tomorrow

After rallies over the weekend and what seemed like endless debate Monday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Vikings Stadium bill on a 73-58 vote in the late hours of Monday night. While this is a giant step in the right direction in getting  a deal done, the final vote added some complicated terms for Vikings ownership that may sour the deal.

The final bill that was passed was amended to increase the contribution from the Vikings by an additional $105 million, going beyond the original team contribution of $427 million.

Vikings ownership have noted they weren't prepared to make the additional contribution the House bill asks for, and the increased financial burden on the Vikings may lead to additional issues in finalizing a deal. While the team may not be thrilled about the amended plan, ultimately the Legislature is in the position to determine the contribution necessary from the team.

Governor Dayton was quoted as saying "The voices of the people of Minnesota were heard tonight." He continued to urge the public to keep pressure on lawmakers, as the Minnesota Senate has yet to vote on their version of the proposal.

The Senate vote is expected to take place sometime Wednesday, and is the final major legal hurdle for the new stadium to pass. If the Senate votes in favor of their version of the plan, both versions of legislation go to conference committee between the two bodies, which should be the beginning of the home stretch for finishing a deal.

It is assumed that once a bill clears conference committee, that Governor Dayton will be ready to sign the legislation and Minnesota will be able to move beyond worrying about a new stadium after more than a decade of heated discussion on the issue. Looking past the Senate vote, things look fairly rosy. While a major hurdle has been cleared, there is still plenty more that could go wrong - so stay tuned.