Legislation is moving forward that would tighten restrictions on the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority after the Vikings stadium free ticket snafu. Heated debate in Senate committee this week over requiring the authority to recover fair market value of food, parking and other items that officials’ families and friends received. Vernon Center Republican Julie Rosen said, “It is not appropriate for some people to say,… I do need to pay for those tickets, and other people to say, nah, I’m not gonna do it; it’s not a big deal.” New Hope Democrat Ann Rest objected, “It may have been the biggest ethical lapse in the 21st century, but it was not illegal.”
The measure is part of a larger package that includes a gift ban, legislative oversight of the Sports Facilities Authority budget, and reconstituting the board so the legislature has a say in who serves on it.