VIDEO: Minnesota House Passes Vikings Stadium Bill

UPDATE: 10:40 p.m.

The Minnesota House on Monday approved a public subsidy package for a new Vikings stadium with a 73-58 vote.

Rep. Kelby Woodard (R-District 25B), who represents the majority of Northfield, voted in favor of the measure. Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-District 36B), who represents the Dakota County precinct of Northfield, also voted in favor of the bill. Legislators debated for more than eight hours.

As part of the plan, a Garofalo-proposed amendment calls for the state to pay $105 million less and the Vikings to pay for $105 million more. For complete details of the plan, head to TwinCities.com.

The Senate is expected to take up its version of the bill on Tuesday. If the Senate approves the measure, a committee made up from members of the House and Senate will need to negotiate a final bill and get approval from their respective bodies. If approved, it could be to the governor's desk by the end of the week.

You can also watch the entire discussion on the attached video.

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After months (and years) of debates and discussion regarding a new Minnesota Vikings stadium, it all comes down to this.

The Minnesota House of Representatives debate and then vote on the Vikings stadium issue on Monday. Here's live video via The UpTake.

The plan going to the floor is the same plan that's been voted down in committee, resurrected, spliced, reshaped, and then finally reborn as the same package that was discussed a month ago. The bill calls for $427 million from Vikings, $150 million from Minneapolis, $398 million from state via expansion of charitable gambling, to build the stadium.

The plan is getting a mixed reviews from Northfield legislators.

Rep. Kelby Woodard (R-District 25B) told Patch before the 2012 session that he was in support of the Shakopee location that had been discussed.

"Look at Minneapolis and St. Paul—I don’t see a lot of legislators jumping up and down saying they want it in their city," he told Patch. "I’ve been a little bit of a skeptic on Vikings stadium period (because) I certainly don’t want to see any general dollars going to it."

Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-District 36B), who represents the Dakota County precinct of Northfield, is planning to vote yes. 

Sen. Al DeKruif (R-District 25) told Patch before the 2012 session started that he the Legislature should be involved in the conversation and that a plan should be between the Vikings and a local partner. Though he did say he did support Racino as a possible funding source.

In the event the bill is passed and the Senate takes up the bill, Sen. Dave Thompson (R-District 36) of Lakeville, is firmly in the no-vote column. He's on the record saying passage of the stadium bill is "inconceivable."

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