Missouri House passes Kansas City stadium bill
Marie Moyer
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri House on Wednesday passed a bill to entice the Royals and Chiefs to stay in Missouri.
Senate Bill 3 will now head to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk after it passed 90-58. The bill gives financial incentives for stadium projects for Missouri’s professional sports teams.
The Show Me Sports Investment Act is aimed at keeping the two sports teams from moving to Kansas after lawmakers failed to pass a plan during their regular, annual session. The proposal would give the state’s professional sports teams access to state funding for stadium projects through new bonds, but only if certain requirements are met.
The project must cost at least $500 million and involve stadiums with more than 30,000 seats. The state could cover up to 50% of the total cost and eligible teams could also access a tax credit worth up to 10% of their investment.
Supporters of the act argue that it would give a major economic boost to the state economy.
“The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t just a football team, they’re Missouri’s front door to the national stage,” Rep. Tricia Byrnes (R-Wentzville) said. “Every game, every Super Bowl, every concert at Arrowhead tells the world who we are, and that even includes every post on social media, those are even often viewed internationally, and that keeps Missouri in the global conversation.”
“We are on the map, we are no longer flyover country, we are the home of the Chiefs,” Rep. Keri Ingle (D-Lee’s Summit) said. “If you’re worried about the revenue lost by them doing this to rebuild the stadiums, wait till you see what happens to the revenue if we lose them because this is a zero-sum game.”
Opponents of the act argued that the bill favors a multi-million dollar organization and forces local taxpayers to foot the bill.
“It’s about taking care of people first, I’m not against the Chiefs, but we need to take care of people, working people, poor people, people who are working hard, doing their part, paying their taxes,” Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) said. “They come first, then football stadiums.”
“Most of the people in my district can’t afford a ticket to either sporting event, they are more concerned about putting food on the table,” Rep. Darin Chappel (R-Rogersville) said. “I cannot in good conscience suggest that tax dollars ought to be utilized for something like this.”
Aspects of the bill include a proposal to give up to a 50% tax credit to professional sports entertainment facility construction and the proposal to give 97 of Missouri’s counties the choice to vote on a property tax freeze.
Many representatives speculated on the legality of the tax freeze, with many claiming it is unconstitutional since it violates Missouri’s Uniformity Clause that requires property taxes to be taxed under the same rules. Others claimed that analyzing the legality of the bill is up to the courts.
“In order for it to be found unconstitutional, someone is going to have to challenge it, and that’s more money that our taxpayers have to pay because we’re not doing our jobs well here,” Rep. Kathy Steinhoff (D-Columbia) said, “I think we need to do a better job of not putting things into bills that we know are going to be found unconstitutional.”
The Missouri House of Representatives also passed two pieces of legislation during a special session that would assist those impacted by the St. Louis tornado.
Members of the chamber gathered on Wednesday to discuss several bills, including Senate Bill 1, which provides funding for the University of Missouri Research Reactor. It also appropriates money to the Department of Economic Development for the Missouri Housing Development Commission.
The bill passed with a vote of 143-2 and will now go to the governor. Senate Bill 4 was also passed by the House. This expedites the use of the Missouri Housing Trust Fund for emergency aid.
In an X post, Kehoe praised the general assembly for their work and said, “I look forward to seeing this legislation on my desk very soon.”