At 11:00 a.m. ET, the Minnesota House of Representatives will launch a debate that, eventually, will culminate in a vote on a bill that would build a new football stadium for the Vikings.
Doug Belden of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has put together a simple but informative snapshot of the process. A total of 68 votes in favor of the measure will be needed to send it to the Minnesota Senate.
The House has 61 Democrats and 72 Republicans. Per Belden, 34 Democrats will support the measure; the question is whether 34 Republicans will do the same.
For those of you who are interested in seeing the sausage being made, the folks at TwinCities.com will be streaming the debate.
Last month, the effort had died on the vine. A visit from Commissioner Roger Goodell and Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who chairs the league’s stadium committee, put the bill back on track.
Today (or perhaps tonight, perhaps late), the Vikings and the NFL will get what they wanted: A vote. If the vote fails, things could get very interesting.