On Monday, the Minnesota House of Representatives made a surprise addition to the Vikings stadium bill, increasing the share to be contributed by the league and the team by $105 million. The team called the change “not workable.”
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Senate conjured up an even bigger surprise. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Senate has amended its version of the bill to remove the nullification of a Minneapolis City Charter provision that requires a citywide vote in connection with the expenditure of more than $10 million for any sports facility.
As Eric Roper of the Star Tribune explains it, the absence of the provision means that a legal challenge could flow from any effort to build the stadium without a public referendum. Minneapolis officials believe they have fashioned an argument that will sidestep the charter. Without state-level nullification of the charter provision, a legal challenge becomes more likely.
The motivation for the change isn’t clear. It’s a term that could evaporate when a Conference Committee harmonizes the language of the House and Senate versions of the bill. The House passed a bill that contains the nullification language.
UPDATE 8:50 p.m. ET: And now the Senate has put the nullification language back in.