Two days worth of good news is something we haven't seen in a while regarding the Minnesota Vikings and their need for a new stadium. Fortunately for fans of the Vikings, they got a boost in their hopes as the Minnesota Senate followed the House of Representatives' lead and passed a bill authorizing the use of over $500 million from the state for a new Stadium to be built.
There were hours upon hours of debate on the subject in the Senate before the bill was passed, and it got to the point where it looked like they might even be in danger of their 7 a.m. deadline being too soon. In the end, they got their bill though filled with amendments that were different from the House's companion bill.
With time running short in the legislative session, the bills now head to a House-Senate conference committee to resolve the differences. A compromise bill would need a second approval in both chambers before heading to the desk of DFL Gov. Mark Dayton, who has led the charge for a new Vikings stadium to replace the Metrodome.
One of the biggest changes between the two versions was the Senate's bill shifting $25 million of the proposed money spent on the Stadium over to the Vikings from the state. The House's version had $105 million shifted. The Senate also spent a large amount of time pushing for 'user fees' inside the Stadium being used to add to costs rather than the charitable gambling that had previously been in the bill.
Time is running out on the Legislative session, so they'll need to hurry if we want a resolution to the now quickly moving events of the Vikings Stadium drama.
For more on the Minnesota Vikings as their Stadium Issues continue to filter through the local government, head over to The Daily Norseman. More news and analysis on the NFL in general can be found at sbnation.com/NFL.