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| Date: | May 9, 2012 | | Contact Name: | Susan Closmore | | Contact Phone: | 651-296-5712 | | Contact Email: | susan.closmore@senate.mn | | For Immediate Release | |
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| SENATE APPROVES VIKINGS STADIUM BILL |
St. Paul- The Minnesota Senate debated the Vikings Stadium bill and by a bipartisan vote of 38-28 approved legislation that provides financing for a new stadium. Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) gave the following statement in regards to her vote for the proposal.
“I am thrilled that our hard work to develop a solid plan to secure a stadium in the interest of Minnesota taxpayers has paid off. I’m not a big professional sports fan myself but I do like math – and the numbers told me this was a good deal for our state. The Vikings will shoulder more than 50 percent of the cost while the state will be responsible for around a quarter of the cost, funded by charitable gambling,” said Senator Nelson.
During the course of the floor debate, Senator Nelson offered an amendment to protect local governments’ decision making power. Senator Nelson amended the stadium bill to clearly state that it does not preempt, override or waive any charter provision for NFL facility financing and at the same time it does not override local control.
“I’m a firm believer in local control – I don’t want to see us override decisions made at the local level. My amendment strengthened the intent of one of my colleague’s amendments by ensuring that the legislature doesn’t overreach into Minneapolis’ actions in this process. It is not the place of the Minnesota legislature to step on top of the Minneapolis City Council. This stadium project has the potential to substantially benefit Minneapolis, surrounding communities and the state as a whole. I will not jeopardize that progress by tying local officials’ hands,” said Senator Nelson.
Upon the stadium’s opening, nearly $26 million from Vikings-related sales and athletes’ income taxes will go into state coffers each year. Furthermore, the new stadium will house more than just Vikings games, which occur ten days out of the year. The facility, owned by the state, will be available over 350 days a year for a variety of public and private uses.
“With this investment, Minnesota will see a substantial return. Construction of the stadium could support 13,000 jobs for three years, including 7,500 in construction trades. This is an area that has seen nearly 20 percent unemployment in recent years. Tonight’s vote reflects my commitment to focus on legislation that promotes job growth and harnesses 21st century opportunities to improve the economic outlook in our state,” concluded Senator Nelson.
The House passed the Vikings Stadium bill Monday and the next step for the proposal is conference committee, to resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.
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