Well, there's something you don't see everyday

Posted at 2:52 PM on April 28, 2006 by Bob Collins

The Senate Taxes Committee just killed again -- at least for now -- the Gophers stadium bill on a 6-6 vote, instigating a public spat between Sen. Larry Pogemiller and Sen. William Belanger, that revealed the behind-the-scenes dealings on this bill since yesterday, when the same committe tacked on a 13-percent sports memorabilia tax to raise the annual state payment to the stadium -- then killed it on a tie vote. Still with me? Good, that makes one of us.

So today, Pogemiller pulled the tax out of the bill, and separated it from the Twins and Vikings legislation, apparently under assurances that the votes would be there to pass it.

They weren't.

Sen. Belanger's "no" vote was the key. He had apparently said yesterday that if the tax were removed, and if the Gophers stadium was voted separately, he'd vote for it. He didn't.

That led to Pogemiller "revealing" that the governor's office has been involved in negotiations over the last day to get the stadium passed and that Belanger agreed to vote for it.

"I don't mind going public with that," Pogemiller said, as he called a recess and immediately left the room.

Get the feeling there's more to this? Yeah, me too.

The committee will apparently work all weekend.

Here's the roll call vote in Votetracker.

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