ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota Twins were on the legislative field for seven hours Wednesday and after winning there, the team takes on a new challenge today.
The Senate Taxes Committee will consider the Twins proposal to build a new ballpark -- and maybe a Minnesota Vikings stadium plan.
Twins fans and Twins Sports President Jerry Bell watched much of Wednesday's debate from the House gallery and cheered as House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, announced the vote: "By the score 76 ayes and 55 nays, the bill is passed."
"We're overwhelmed by it," Bell said. "It was more votes than we expected."
The measure authorizes a Hennepin County sales tax increase to provide stadium construction money. The Twins would contribute $130 million of the ballpark's $522 million cost.
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"This is an opportunity for us to get a ballpark built for the Minnesota Twins without state money," said the bill's sponsor Rep. Brad Finstad, R-New Ulm.
Most debate centered on whether only Hennepin County sales should be taxed to fund the stadium. During stadium debate, Rep. Al Juhnke, DFL-Willmar, said he has seen 11 bills this decade in the Legislature. Representatives turned back an attempt to require Hennepin County residents to vote on the sales-tax question 66-64. If the referendum were required, supporters said, voters would reject the tax increase and kill the ballpark. House members also rejected 111-19 an attempt to impose a statewide sales tax to fund the stadium, plus a roof.
Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City, said if the proposal included the statewide tax, it would "doom this bill to failure."
Wearing a baseball tie, Urdahl told fellow lawmakers that passing the bill "is all about heroes -- past, present and future."
"This day represents our last, best chance to keep baseball here," said Urdahl, who wrote a book about Twins baseball.
