To Build a Stadium.  The next stop for the stadium bill is the Senate floor, where it will be discussed, debated, amended, and voted upon today (and tonight perhaps even into early tomorrow).  The bill passed the House floor by a vote of 73-58 (with 40 DFLers voting for it) after a number of amendments were attached to it over a long debate on Monday.  The most consequential amendment would require the Vikings to contribute another $105 million to the project.  Without the addition of that amendment, the bill would have likely failed to pass.  The problem now is that the Vikings are not happy with the bill in its current condition.

The Senate will likely be a steeper climb for the bill.  Support and opposition for this bill defies any partisan divide, but it seems to me that the opposition for the stadium in the Senate is a little more spirited than it was in the House.  The Senate will first move its version of the bill (which does not contain the amendment that would increase the Vikings' contribution by $105 million) in the House bill jacket, but then the amending will begin and it is likely that the same amendments that were considered in the House will all be considered once again.  If the bill passes, it will then go to conference committee and all eyes will be on it as the session winds down.

Bonding Bill Passes.  While the House was working on the stadium bill, the Senate passed its bonding bill on a vote of 45-22.  The House had passed its version of the bonding bill prior to the stadium debate on a vote of 99-32.  The bills will now head to conference committee for reconciliation.  The House bill contains $567 million in projects, while the Senate bill contains approximately $496 million in projects.

Another Education Bill Signed.  The Governor signed HF 2647, the bill that would require disclosure of the reasons for a termination settlement that is greater than $10,000.  This bill arose out of the case in the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school district where an employee was recently given a large settlement upon their resignation.  The case caused an uproar, as the reasons for the termination were never disclosed.  

There will be a lot of training required for school districts and district administrative personnel on how the law will be applied and whether there are ways to dismiss someone without full disclosure of the reasons behind it.  Stay tuned for workshops dealing with the issue over the summer.