Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe walks up to a lectern before a news conference at the governor’s office in Jefferson City on Friday. Kehoe plans to call a special session for a stadiums funding proposal for the Chiefs and Royals. Jonathan Shorman The Kansas City Star
Missouri lawmakers will try again to pass a funding plan for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals, as Gov. Mike Kehoe confirmed on Friday he will call a special session.
The Republican governor signaled he’s open to including other issues in the session as part of a negotiation to pass the package, which could help pay for up to 50% of the costs of new or upgraded stadiums for the teams.
Kehoe’s comments came after the General Assembly ended its annual session without passing the proposal, which he unveiled only on Tuesday. Kehoe didn’t say exactly when the session would begin but indicated it could occur in early June. The special session will occur as the teams weigh a generous financing plan in Kansas that could expire next month.
“We haven’t decided a date yet,” Kehoe told reporters during a news conference at the Capitol, adding that he plans to speak with legislative leadership first. “No date will be easy. But that, again, is a critical piece of economic development that I’d like to see us make sure we can solidify our offer with legislative approval.”
The Missouri plan relies on bonds and tax credits that could pay for up to half the costs of upgrading or building new stadiums. It would allow the teams to apply for the aid but the state would have to sign off on each project.
Under the plan, the total amount of state funding will be capped at 30 years and cannot exceed 50% of the total project costs. The proposal would also require contributions from local governments.
The proposed program offers funding for stadium development by covering annual bond payments up to the amount a team generated in state tax revenue in the year prior to when it took effect. The program would dedicate funds for bond payments up to the amount of revenue “historically generated by the teams.”
The proposal would set a minimum project cost of $500 million to qualify and stadiums must have a seating capacity of more than 30,000. A new Royals stadium would cost more than $1 billion. A new Chiefs stadium could cost up to $3 billion. When the team brought forth a plan to renovate Arrowhead Stadium a year ago, the Chiefs projected that cost at $800 million.
A view from a distance of Kauffman Stadium as the Royals faced off against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Dominick Williams dowilliams@kcstar.com
Lawmakers’ support needed
While the plan passed the House 108-40, it stalled in the Senate, where senators are angry the House didn’t pass a budget bill that included funding for projects across the state, including a new mental health hospital in Kansas City.
Democrats are also furious with Senate Republicans for breaking filibusters to place a proposed abortion ban on the ballot next year and repeal sick leave protections approved by voters in November.
“From this point forward, if I have anything to say, everything is going to be so hard around here, it’s gonna be very hard,” Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a St. Louis-area Democrat, said this week.
Kehoe likely needs to win the support of at least some lawmakers who have expressed reservations about advancing stadium funding after not approving funding for other projects. He must also navigate tensions among lawmakers that will still be lingering when the session begins in a matter of weeks.
“I understand what their concerns are,” Kehoe said. “I think it’s fair to say everything is on the table of what that special session might look like.”
Kehoe’s plan represents the first major state-level effort to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri since Jackson County voters in April 2024 rejected a stadiums sales tax. Kansas lawmakers have since approved a sweeping proposal to offer supercharged bonds to finance up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums for one or both teams.
But the Kansas measure will expire at the end of June unless top Kansas lawmakers vote to extend it – a looming deadline that could soon prompt the teams to pick between the two states.
When asked by The Star if the Chiefs and Royals have committed to remaining in Missouri if Kehoe’s plan passes, the governor said he speaks to the ownership groups of both teams almost weekly, including this week, and noted the plan requires a local contribution.
The legislation says state officials must be satisfied that there is “sufficient public investment” by local government to support infrastructure or “other needs generated by the project.”
“That can’t happen as fast as everything else,” Kehoe said. “But the teams have indicated to me that if we can get legislative approval passed, obviously, somewhat well in advance of the June 30 deadline and that’s not that far away right now, it certainly would be a significant milestone for them to consider what we’re doing.”
Kehoe said he didn’t want to speak “too much in favor for them,” but that “we’ve run through several scenarios with them.”
“I think our piece going first really would send a statement to those communities as well,” Kehoe said. “I think it would be a great step in the right direction.”
The Kansas City Star
913-735-3689
Jonathan Shorman is The Kansas City Star’s lead political reporter, covering Kansas and Missouri politics and government. He previously covered the Kansas Statehouse for The Star and Wichita Eagle. He holds a journalism degree from The University of Kansas.