ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A Minnesota Senate committee has approved a bill for a public subsidy to help the Vikings build a new football stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
The Local Government and Elections Committee passed the stadium bill on a vote of 8-6 Friday. The vote revives the struggling stadium bill just a few days after a House committee rejected a version of it.
The Senate committee's vote came just hours after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell visited the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul to urge state lawmakers to resolve the stadium issue for the sake of ensuring the Vikings' future in Minnesota.
"We're very pleased with the progress and that the bill moved forward," Lester Bagley, the Vikings' vice president for stadium development, said after the Senate committee vote. "It's been an up and down week, touch and go."
The Vikings have sought a replacement for the Metrodome for more than a decade. Though they will play next season in the dome, their lease has expired.
