Sen. tax committee approves stadium plan

by Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — The taxes committee in the Minnesota Senate has narrowly approved a plan for a new Vikings stadium.

The 13-member committee voted 7-6 to send the Vikings stadium bill to the full Senate. The committee discussed the measure for nearly six hours as they debated how to cover the public subsidy.

In the end, the bill survived mostly unchanged, as Senators decided they could not be sure if alternative financing plans would work. As it stands, the bill would build a $975 million stadium and fund stadium bonds with new electronic pull-tabs, bingo and Minneapolis hospitality taxes.

A different version of the bill awaits a vote by the full House, but it is unclear when that vote will be taken. Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem said he hopes to have a Senate vote on Sunday.