Kehoe to announce special session details on Tuesday
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe on Tuesday will announce special session details for the Missouri legislature, according to a Monday news release from his office.
Kehoe is expected to make the announcement at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Capitol. The governor had floated the idea at the end of the regular session earlier this month to pass the “Show Me Sports Investment Act,” which would give the state’s professional sports teams access to state funding for stadium projects.
House Speaker Jon Patterson (R-Lee’s Summit) has told his caucus that the session will take place June 2-13, said state Rep. Dave Griffith (R-Jefferson City). The House is likely to work on its legislation starting June 9, Griffith said, though that date is subject to change.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Royals have made some public statements about moving across state lines after Jackson County voters said “no” to a proposal in 2024 to extend a sales tax to help finance a downtown baseball stadium and upgrades to Arrowhead Stadium.
Previous reporting indicates that to qualify, 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.
“I really believe that the Clark family wants to stay in Missouri and I think this is a gesture on our part to show both the Chiefs and the Royals that we want them to stay,” Griffith said.
The bill had passed the Missouri House, but did not make it through the Senate before the session ended.
Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) said he would like to keep the Chiefs within Missouri, but also said he believes there has to be thought about whether or not tax payers should have to pay for that.
Smith said it’s hard to tell if the act will be approved, given the Senate’s decision to repeal voter-approved sick leave requirements.
“There was so much chaos at the end. It may not pass again. I mean some people in the senate are very mad about the repeal of Prop A,” Smith said. “The senate is very upset about that, and so they may purposefully kill the stadium project to send a message.”
Some lawmakers have also expressed interest in including capital projects in the special session. The House failed to pass a capital improvements budget, HB 19, that included money for projects in Mid-Missouri, such as a Jefferson City conference center and the University of Missouri’s NextGen Research Reactor.
Griffith said house lawmakers did not take it up because add-ons from the Senate exceeded their expectations but is hopeful conversations can be had and work can be done during the special session.
The school announced it was working with Hyundai and MPR Associates to begin designing the billion-dollar NextGen reactor in south Columbia. An expansion is also underway at the school’s current reactor on Providence Road.
Smith said he’s hopeful the governor will bring that back on the table, which would help with cancer research.
“I mean, we’re treating people who are sick and dying. MURR is one of the most unique facilities we have in America, not only in Missouri,” Smith said. “Promises were made and those promises need to be honored so we can have that money.”
Griffith said he’s pushing for money for a new juvenile center to be built in Cole County. The project has been in the works and would build the new center on St. Mary’s Blvd. but funding for it was left uncertain after the house failed to pass the bill.
Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler told ABC 17 News previously the new center would help with safety, as well as cut down on transportation expenses.
“Our detention center was built in 1973 and it’s really out used, it’s outgrown its use. There’s not enough places for us to put the juvenile offenders,” Griffith said. “And $4 million is really a small amount for us to be able to lead that project.”
Griffith said he’s also hopeful improvements to a new conference center in Jefferson City will be approved.
The session is expected to start in the Senate, according to Griffith.