Vikings stadium: Senate takes up bill hours after House passes it

The Minnesota Senate is taking up the bill for a new Vikings stadium hours after the state House approved it by a 73-58 vote Monday night, May 7.

House members met on the bill for 8{ hours and took up about three dozen proposed amendments, the most significant of which cut the state's contribution by about 25 percent and specified that naming rights revenue be shared between the public and the team.

The Vikings called that provision "not workable."

Gov. Mark Dayton called the House vote "a huge step forward" and said there were "more positive votes than almost anyone expected."

Democrats put up 40 votes in favor and Republicans 33.

Many of the amendments seemed to be offered and passed in order to give lawmakers leverage to craft a better deal for the state in conference committee.

The House bill differs significantly from the one in the Senate, and the differences would need to be resolved in conference committee, after which there would be another round of votes in the House and Senate before the bill goes to the governor.

The Senate is expected to take up the stadium bill Tuesday. The session begins at 9 a.m.

But House passage was still a significant step, and it sets up a potential end-game for a Vikings stadium push that's been under way at least 12 years and engaged in earnest for about the past three.

Bill sponsor Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, started the debate about 2 p.m. by substituting an amended bill for consideration.

Among the changes: new language specifying that construction cost overruns would be the responsibility of the builder, not the public.

"The time has come for Minnesota to make a decision," Lanning said.

"Whatever you think of this bill, this is our one chance," said Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove, who has been carrying the bill along with Lanning. "This bill works, it's been fine-tuned, and it will build a stadium."

The bill was amended right off the bat to lower the state's contribution.

An amendment introduced by Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, passed 97-31. It lowers the state's contribution by $105 million and raises the team's by that amount, and allows the public to share in naming rights revenue, which had been assigned to the team.

Rep. King Banaian, R-St. Cloud, who teaches stadium economics at St. Cloud State University, spoke in favor of Garofalo's amendment. He said the team is not putting up enough money toward the project.

Of the Vikings' $427 million contribution, $200 million would come from an NFL loan, only about $50 million of which be the responsibility of the owners, Banaian said.

Naming rights and personal seat licenses could easily yield more than $100 million each, he said.

"How much of this building is actually paid for by the owner?" Banaian asked. He guessed it would be $30 million to $50 million. "That's a heckuva deal."

But Lanning warned against taking too much money away from the Vikings. "There's a limit to how much we can squeeze."