Vikings stadium bill done for legislative session?

The Minnesota House Government Operations Committee voted down the Vikings stadium bill 6 to 9 in committee last night. All yes votes were Republicans but for one Democrat. There were five Democrat no votes and four Republican no votes.

I think it's unlikely the bill will recover this session though you never say never around the state legislature.

I testified against the use of a massive expansion of electronic gambling to fund the state's $400 million share of the stadium. We're not taking a position on the stadium itself.

I thought it might pass out of the committee, because some legislators wanted to keep the issue alive. Turned out not to be the case.

The stadium bill has a number of problems. To name a few. First, there's an election coming up with strong feelings on the bill. Many legislators don't want passage of a billion dollar stadium funded by taxpayer monies before the voters. Second, nothing has to be done this year. The Vikings are committed to playing here this fall. And third, the funding sources are suspect. Lots of people don't think the proceeds from charity gambling are realistic.