Minnesota Senate Passes Vikings Statium Bill, Heading to Conference Committee

The next major hurdle for the Vikings stadium plan has been passed. The Minnesota Senate passed their version of the bill late Tuesday (May 9) on a 38-28 vote. The House and Senate versions will go to conference committee to mediate the differences, and the modified bills will go back to each house's floor to be approved.

While this is another step in the right direction, each of the bills that passed through the legislature ask for a bigger contribution from the Vikings. The Senate bill asks for an additional $25 million, while the House bill asks for an extra $105 million. In either case, the Vikings have repeated their displeasure with the demand for a greater contribution.

The original proposal asked the Vikings to provide $427 million toward the building costs, and team representation has repeated that this number is pretty firmly set in stone. This may be the final issue of contention as light seems to be appearing at the end of the tunnel.

The final bill could be on Governor Dayton's desk as soon as Friday, but whether or not the Vikings like the offer is another situation all together.