The Missouri House of Representatives has approved a bill designed to keep Kansas City’s two major sports teams, MLB’s Royals and NFL’s Chiefs, in the state.
Fox4KC.com reports the House passed Senate Bill 3, with enables the state to issue bonds valued at up to half the cost of stadium projects sought by the teams. Gov. Mike Kehoe called a special legislative session to focus on this issue and is expected to sign the bill into law.
The Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium, which opened in 1972, while the Royals are based at the adjacent Kauffman, which opened in 1973. The teams’ current stadium leases expire in 2031, and both have received public overtures from neighboring Kansas to relocate out of Missouri.
House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Republican, told a press that press conference, “I’m just very happy that Missouri has a chance to be one of the 22 states that has an NFL franchise.”
The Chiefs released a statement thanking the governor and legislature, stating the legislation “enables the Chiefs to continue exploring potential options to consider remaining in Missouri.” The Royals also released a statement that it looked forward to “evaluating the plan in full detail.”
Photo: Arrowhead Stadium, courtesy of Ichabod / Wikimedia Commons
