MN Committee Passes Stadium Bill to Full Senate

ST. PAUL (AP) -- The Senate Taxes Committee has narrowly sent the $1 billion Vikings stadium bill to the floor of the Minnesota Senate.

It was the toughest test yet for the proposed stadium subsidy. It's now primed for floor votes in the House and Senate, with lawmakers hoping to adjourn their session for the year by Monday at midnight.

Stadium critics on the Senate panel zeroed in on the financing scheme to cover the state's proposed $400 million subsidy to the project. The current proposal calls for an expansion of gambling in bars and clubs, with the newly generated tax revenue going to the stadium.

Foes of that funding source narrowly failed to replace the gambling revenue with sales taxes on stadium purchases. That proposal is likely to resurface on the Senate floor.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)