Minnesota Vikings stadium bill no closer to approval - NFL News
The Minnesota Vikings stadium bill is no closer to final approval by the State Senate and House after it once again became mired in politics on Tuesday.
The bill had just recently been approved by the house committee on taxes and it was expected to go for a vote from the house, however, Republican lawmakers introduced another proposal for the stadium which called for the removal of the roof in addition to
funding the state subsidy through loans instead of an expansion of gambling.
This latest proposal was met with frustration by Minnesota governor, Mark Dayton who panned the lawmakers in a press conference.
"Vote on the proposal that's been worked on for the last eight months, that's before the House and the Senate. That's been vetted by seven legislative committees, and that is a sound package, has been worked out, has support of the Minneapolis City Council
and the Mayor, and is a go."
The proposed subsidy for the new Vikings stadium has been met by severe criticism from Republicans who are in majority in the State Legislature and are against the expansion of gambling to generate funds for the stadium.
Removing the roof from the new stadium will result in cost savings but would not allow the stadium to be used for other revenue generating events.
Minnesota Vikings point man in stadium negotiations, Lester Bagley rejected the idea of a roofless stadium and said.
"The time to consider the site or the design has passed. Make no mistake: The Vikings stand with the agreement we negotiated."
It seems that the bill is still far off from being approved by the State legislature as both the Republican and Democratic lawmakers continue to disagree on aspects of the proposal.
The Vikings have already kept all options on the table and have not ruled out moving out of the state altogether if the bill is not approved.
However, the franchise will remain in Minnesota for the 2012-13 season and will play at their current home of the Metrodome but can move out after 2013 if their demands for a state subsidy for a new $ 975 million stadium in downtown Minneapolis are not met.
More developments on this news are expected in the coming days as lawmakers continue to debate the bill.
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