The decision of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Steelers owner Art Rooney II to drop everything and head to Minnesota on Friday has had a positive impact on the effort to get a final answer on whether a new stadium will be built for the Vikings.
Barely.
Vikings director of corporate communications Jeff Anderson says via Twitter that the stadium bill passed in the Senate Local Government Committee by a vote of 8-6.
The measure now moves to the Jobs and Economic Growth Committee.
Previously, the bill had languished before the Senate. The House version died in a committee on Monday night, sparking the activity that culminated in Friday’s visit from Goodell and Rooney.
The goal of the NFL and the Vikings at this point is to simply push the issue to a full vote of the House and Senate, even if the ultimate outcome is a rejection of the stadium deal that was reached between the Vikings, Governor Mark Dayton, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and legislative leaders.