Politics & Government

VIDEO: Minnesota Senate Passes Vikings Stadium Bill

Sens. Al DeKruif and Dave Thompson, who represent Northfield, both voted no.

UPDATE: 2:30 p.m. Wednesday

The Minnesota Senate on Tuesday approved a public subsidy package for a new Vikings stadium with a 38-28 vote.

Sen. Al DeKruif (R-District 25), who represents the majority of Northfield, voted no on the measure.

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"I believe the state should be a facilitator in getting this Vikings stadium built," he said on Wednesday, but said he couldn't get behind the bill as presented.

DeKruif said he's OK with some gambling involved—and is a support of Racino—but said he doesn't want to see general dollars as part of the equation.

Find out what's happening in Northfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sen. Dave Thompson (R-District 36), who represents the Dakota County precinct of Northfield, also voted no, saying he couldn't get behind the idea of relying on gambling money as some of the funding toward the $975 million plan.

Tuesday's vote follows the on Monday of its version of a Vikings stadium bill with a 73-58 vote.

A conference 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 watch the entire discussion on the attached video.

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The 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 today. Discussion should begin at 10 a.m.

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

Sen. Dave Thompson (R-District 36), who represents the Dakota County precinct of Northfield, is firmly in the no-vote column. He's on the record saying passage of the stadium bill is "inconceivable."

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.

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