Vikings Stadium Bill Passes, Bills, Gerlach Vote 'No'

Editor's note: The measure passed in the Senate 36-30.

One final hurdle for a Vikings stadium remains: Senate passage of a reconciled bill that was approved by the House this early this morning.

Earlier this week, Minnesota's House and Senate passed two different versions of Vikings stadium bills. Yesterday, it was the job of a conference committee made of members of both chambers to negotiate a workable melding of the bills that would appease the team and the legislature.

Rosemount legislators Sen. Chris Gerlach and Rep. Kurt Bills both voted 'No' on the pre-reconciled bill.

Around midnight, the committee announced it had reconciled such a bill, and the Vikings were on board.

Then, at 3:30 a.m. Thursday, after a couple hours of debate, the House of Representatives passed the reconciled bill 71-60.

Rep. Kurt Bills (R-Rosemount) voted against the measure.

The Vikings' new share of the $1 billion stadium is set to be $477 million, up $50 million from what the team said its cap was earlier this spring. Minneapolis will still pay $150 million, with the state's share coming in at $348 million.

According to the Star Tribune, under the bill, the state will pay its share with revenue from electronic bingo and pull tabs, but in the event those revenues fall short, a series of so-called blink-on taxes would activate, including a 10 percent admissions tax on stadium luxury seats and a sports-themed lottery game predicted to produce at least $2.1 million per year.

The Senate approved the measure by a 36-30 margin. Sen. Chris Gerlach (R-Apple Valley) voted against the measure.