JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (WGEM) - In the early morning hours, before the sun was up, the Missouri Senate passed bills to meet the governor’s call for a special session.
Gov. Mike Kehoe expanded his call for a special session after spending Wednesday in negotiations with senators behind closed doors. After several hours of debate, senators agreed on a plan to incentivize the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to stay in Missouri, provide financial relief to tornado victims, and fund several projects that were left out of the state budget.
The Missouri House of Representatives is expected to take up all of these proposals next week.
The plan passed early Thursday morning would provide bonds for 50% of the stadium construction up to $50 million a year. When all is said and done, the bonds for the Chiefs and Royals would be around $900 million. That all comes out of the tax revenue the teams provide for the state. The deal does require local support, which could be the most difficult hurdle.
“And I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that fiscal note will still be $900 million if the Chiefs go across the state line because the state of Missouri is no longer going to be collecting those tax dollars,” said Sen. Kurtis Gregory, who carried the bill.
Democratic members like Sen. Steve Roberts had their eye on something else - storm relief following a devastating spring tornado season. Roberts negotiated to get $100 million in state funds dedicated to helping St. Louis recover from a May tornado that caused about $1.6 billion in damage. There is also $25 million for housing assistance for Missourians in any county affected by spring tornadoes.
“Kansas City is wonderful and thriving and would love to keep the teams there, but my focus is on immediate emergency relief,” Roberts said.
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