A deal on a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings is still alive despite time closing in on the state's legislative session, Gov. Mark Dayton said Monday according to the Star Tribune.
"It's still breathing and they're still in session, so anything could happen," Dayton said of the bill.
"It's a lot better than it was a week ago ... It's a lot better than it was the week before that," the governor added.
The Minnesota House and Senate have to agree on the partially public-funded stadium, or the chances the Vikings relocate to another city or are sold rise significantly.
The team's lease on the 30-year-old Metrodome expired after last season and the team is searching for a modern, long-term stadium.
The current legislative session is scheduled to end Monday, and the Republican-controlled legislature has said it won't hold a vote on the stadium until a business-tax-reduction bill and bonding bill are passed.
Republicans and Democrats, which include Dayton, are divided on the tax and bonding bills.
The stadium bill, which seemed to have lost steam a few weeks ago, picked up momentum after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney, chairman of the league's stadium committee, met with state officials on April 20.
