(00:00:00) Good morning. We're speaking to you live this morning from the governor's reception room at the Minnesota state capitol. Where in just a few moments Governor. Alch. We will announce his decision on the repeal of the 2% Stadium tax liquor legislation Lee Governor distributed a statement just a few seconds ago indicating that he will sign the bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature last week the legislature completed action on the repeal Bill last week the house passed it on Monday. And then on Thursday the Senate agreed to accept a minor house Amendment sending the matter over to the governor's office our live coverage of this event incidentally made possible with the financial assistance of the Minneapolis Star Governor cui's announcement this morning marks. What will probably be the last step in this bill's lengthy route through the legislative process the measure began the process began actually on the 24th of January with hearings in the Senate tax committee the full Senate passed the Bill on February 8 the house tax committee acted on it on March 9th and the Full House passed the bill exactly one week ago today then as we noted the Senate went along the fat house Amendment on Thursday of last week. The governor did not initially take a position on the stadium issue saying that it should be up to the legislature to decide what to do with it. But then on the morning that the house tax committee met March 9th, the governor released a statement indicating that he favored giving the sports Stadium commissioned a second chance that repeal of the liquor tax would not solve the stadium issue what the governor really wanted was for the legislature to approve a bill allowing the 2% on sale liquor tax to be levied just in the city where the stadium was to be built and which would also allow the stadium commission to redo its decision of December 1st. If negotiations for the dome stadium in Downtown Minneapolis were not completed by the about the 25th of April, I believe was the final date that was suggested on the house floor. The governor did not propose that as we say until very late in the game on the 9th of March approximately and The effort in the house tax committee toward that end failed. It also did not meet with any success on the house floor the repeal of the liquor tax means that collections will stop in a couple of three months leaving certain amount of money probably several million 5 million or so in the sports commission fund which can be used to pay off the bills that the commission has already incurred. It's not necessarily the end of the stadium itself. However, Here Comes Governor quino out to the podium facing the reporters, you'll be reading his statement and we assume answering some (00:02:49) questions. Everybody here (00:02:51) knows (00:02:52) this is the week that the bill to repeal the liquor tax for the stadium is coming to my desk and I felt that since it's this week rather than keep you in suspense any longer I tell you first thing Monday morning what I was going to do. Also, the legislature has begun to meet this morning at 10 o'clock. There's a house committee that will be meeting. I think it would be well that they to know what I'm going to do as soon as the bill reaches my desk and so I'll tell you now. I'm going to sign the stadium Bill comes before my desk and I want to say and doing that is not with any feeling that the major professional sport to not important to the state of Minnesota. And in fact, they are very important. And also I believe is not only that we gained a great deal from the professional sports. I believe each of those teams have been supported and have gained a tremendous amount from the state of Minnesota and support it gives secondly as I said before I believe that there is a need for improved facilities. So now that we can start over again and we can do it with both the legislature and myself together. We will start moving to resolve as quickly As possible the answers are still before us. respond any questions No, I don't think it rules out any site. I believe that the legislature has to now consider and I have not consider all of the ramifications that are there's no easy answer to this. There's no way you can tell that by the fact that nobody's come out and say this is the one that everybody else will fall in place was just going to make some tough tough decisions on it (00:04:38) with any legislators to put your ideas for a stadium into a particular bill (00:04:42) this noon. I have asked the four leaders of the legislature, ir and Democrat be Nick Coleman and Bob Ash back and Bob Searles and Herb Anderson and the two leaders in the house and the Senate who were successful in getting their bill passed Senator Chenoweth and representative Pharisee to come and meet with me in my office and I believe that those are really the six now with myself that have to provide the leadership of bringing the body together from the various views of were taught to go. Well first I'm going to walk through with them for the decisions that have to be made and from that will make those (00:05:29) next steps. (00:05:32) Right now I don't have so I can say to you or to them. Absolutely where is going to go because as I what I said some time ago is the options that are out there. That's still my position that I don't have any burning desire for one location or another because there's two things have to be done one is is the location and who's going to decide on location it can either go back to the commission to the side and the second part is attacks and the commission can't decide unless we get the tax decisions in place (00:06:01) the idea of putting this new stadium at the University of Minnesota may be in place of Memorial Stadium or doming that structure has been floating around now, would you favor such an idea? (00:06:12) Well, you use the word favor, I think it's an option that we ought to seriously look at because if we reach the point where it's necessary to use tax money to subsidize the operating cost. That we are then take a very serious look at the University were I believe the people would find it more acceptable to do that, but I don't but you got the difficulty on it and I'm going to lay off to them is the fact that that's a delay. That's the most longer time and our to do (00:06:41) that. (00:06:48) Well yet early on. I want it to the legislature to make that decision with the clearest mind they possibly could and I looked at that option as I went along they should I change my position and not where I said. I was not going to tell them until the bill reached my desk and now in hindsight. I can't find any reason why I should have stepped in at that time because now the legislature having to delve into it as a have. I think they have a greater body of knowledge and information than they otherwise would have (00:07:24) Here we are. This is the I believe the 14th or 15th week of the 20-week session. What's the I mean the legislature has been debating this for three or four or five years. What about the obligation to provide some leadership here to help bring this thing to a conclusion. Are we going to have a special session on this (00:07:44) issue? There's no need to have a special session and what its gonna take now is is together to analyze the facts and information and make a decision (00:07:54) on it. (00:07:59) It has it has and we're going to do it again this time. There were representatives from time to time that that have talked me. Yes. We'll continue to talk with (00:08:19) them. (00:08:30) Yes all while I'll be walking through it with them to help make those who help make those decisions. No, I do not believe that (00:08:45) solve any problems. Why saying (00:08:47) because if I had a veto it wouldn't solve problems either because they're all kinds of problems out there. The real fight is over what whether we should have a tax to subsidize the operating cost and what kind the real objection I believe came from the use of the Metropolitan liquor tax to subsidize the operating cost. That's what got of them into the probably still got that problem laid out there in the opposition to it. Secondly, you've got the blackout question many of those questions that were that were that have come up that either the commission saw they couldn't handle or have come up after the commission made his decision on December 1st. (00:09:28) Mission itself should decide where the stadium goes or (00:09:31) if legislature the legislature can get themselves together for the legislature can't get themselves together. Then I think we ought to have the taxing Provisions that would live with and let the commission do it because the commission has walked through this for all of that period of time. (00:09:49) Very much like you are not going to take a leading role in resolving this problem that you're going to continue meeting with legislators, but you're going to let them defend (00:09:56) you Steve. If you're asking am I going to lay off to them? Here's the way it absolutely has to be as I said. No, I'm not going to do that and because in doing that that means that everything else then conceivably would be vetoed. (00:10:12) I can do that. Did you say there will be no liquor tax (00:10:15) I'd said no I did not say that now the asked if this was the end of the liquor tax I said, no, that wasn't. (00:10:21) Yeah, you're still alive somewhere in your mind. (00:10:24) It is. Yes. It's really good to (00:10:26) be part of a Statewide 1% liquor tax the wholesale (00:10:29) level as I hear that had that been offered or originally that would have been much more acceptable acceptable to me, but that's in fact what we can get together with the leadership in in the legislature. I'm not going to foreclose and rule out much of (00:10:47) anything. (00:10:56) I will tell them when I come in I could tell him now so they find out all about it before (00:11:01) him. Take (00:11:06) an aspirin (00:11:07) Stipe. (00:11:16) Oh, I suppose there there would be. Get up say yes, I surely would be but not which would be reasonably be (00:11:25) considered. Trying to to play the role of the compromise of here get the all the parties talking and try to achieve some kind of a compromise or (00:11:36) else was going to tempt that's what we will now have to move into doing they weren't able to do it beforehand prior to the bill coming here (00:11:46) you and members of your staff will try to control doctors after meeting at noon. Yes. Is that your or audit the here? Okay. (00:12:05) That's the conclusion of this news conference with Governor Al quie announcing this morning that he'll sign the 2% liquor tax repeal bill that was passed by the legislature last week. The measure will probably be on his desk either today tomorrow or in the very near future and when it gets there he'll sign it. Now. The other thing is that the governor will be meeting at noon today with some legislative leaders in an effort to continue trying to work out some solution to this Stadium controversy. The governor says he has no preconceived idea about where the stadium should be built. He doesn't have any particular objection to any form of financing for it. In fact, the indicated that even the possibility of a liquor tax is still there. So the stadium issue and the governor's office is still far from settled the house tax rather the house local and urban Affairs committee will be meeting in about 45 minutes to begin discussing a specific Bloomington location, which would be financed in part. By a 1% increase in the state sales tax that money would be used. Of course to back up. The construction bonds feeling is that a stadium in Bloomington would be self-supporting once the thing were actually constructed. So that concludes our live coverage of this news conference by Governor Al quie funds for the broadcast provided by the Minneapolis Star. The technical director was Lynn Cruz, this is Bob Potter speaking on the time is now about 14 minutes after nine o'clock.