BENSON: The Senate this afternoon passed a Twins stadium bill after seven hours of debate and legislative maneuvering. The plan is now on hold until the House takes similar action -- and ballpark supporters acknowledge significant obstacles remain. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo followed today's debate and joins us now from the Capitol. Michael, why did it take so long for the Senate to reach a decision? KHOO: Lorna, ballpark legislation comes with considerable baggage from past debates -- and supporters of the current bill had to navigate some tricky waters to create a deal that enough lawmakers could support. As a result, amendment after amendment was offered to make the bill more palatable -- including diverting some funding to affordable housing or transportation or airport noise mitigation or requiring the pledge of allegiance before games are played. Most of those attempts failed, but the bill did pick up what Dean Johnson calls "barnacles" relating to housing and airport noise. Johnson's a DFLer from Willmar and the bill's sponsor. The bill also had to appease legislators from St. Paul and Minneapolis and ensure both sides that NEITHER was favored in terms of where a ballpark might be sited. BENSON: There were several close calls -- and more than once it seemed like the bill might fail. What happened? KHOO: Well, at one point, the bill was amended to give St. Paul more or less the right of first refusal if a ballpark is ever built. That would have cost the support of Minneapolis lawmakers and almost certainly would have sunk the bill. But after more maneuvering and some changed votes, that pro-St. Paul provision was neutralized. On final passage, however, the bill failed to get the three-fifths supermajority needed to pass a statewide sports memorabilia tax. That seemed to doom the package for good -- but it was revived and the statewide tax was reduced to a metropolitan-only tax. That meant the bill could proceed on a simply majority. It did: 37-to-30.