The Missouri legislature passed a bill Wednesday that provides $100 million in storm relief for St. Louis, along with other legislation that aims to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in the state.
Members of the House passed three bills on Wednesday that fulfill Gov. Mike Kehoe's call for a special session. He is expected to sign all three. The same bills were approved by the Senate last week.
The first bill passed by the House provides $100 million in storm relief specifically to St. Louis in response to the tornado that hit the city on May 16.
Representatives voted 143-2 to pass the legislation. Reps. Michael Davis, R-Belton, and Bryant Wolfin, R-Ste. Genevieve, were the only no votes.
The almost-unanimous support was reflected on the House floor, where Republicans and Democrats spoke in favor of the bill.
That support included numerous St. Louis Democrats, including Rep. Steve Butz.
"Without the force of local government, state government, and yes, the federal government, our city, the city of St. Louis, would have no chance of recovering from this devastation. So, this money is critically important," Butz said.
The bill also contains $25 million for the Missouri Housing Trust Fund. That money will go toward storm aid, including housing subsidy grants or loans.
Money from that fund will go to not only areas that incurred storm damage from the May tornado, but also from storms that occurred in March and April in other parts of the state.
House Budget Chair Dirk Deaton, R-Seneca, said the St. Louis tornado, along with the other storms that hit Missouri, show why the state should try to keep money in reserves.
"I do think that's one of the great benefits of continuing to remain and have a surplus, is that when these extraordinary events happen and these terrible disasters happen, we're able to be nimble and we're able to respond to them in a way that's appropriate," Deaton said.
Originally the bill contained the $25 million for disaster relief. Senate Democrats initially decried that amount of funding. A later version included the $100 million.
House Speaker Jon Patterson, R-Lee's Summit, said he backed that additional funding.
"We always talk about St. Louis being the economic engine of our state. It's one of the greatest American cities that we have. It is hurting," Patterson said.
The last person to speak on the funding bill was Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins, D-St. Louis. Her district, along with her own home, was hit by the tornado.
"We lean on each other. We're holding each other. We're taking care of each other. We did it before the tornado. We did it during the tornado, and we're doing it after the tornado," Collins said.
In addition to storm relief, the legislation also contains funding for some projects that were originally a part of a failed budget bill.
Some of the added projects include $50 million for the Radioisotope Science Center at the University of Missouri Research Reactor, $55 million for upgrades to the Missouri State Fair and almost $50 million for a mental health hospital in Kansas City.
Rep. Betsy Fogle, D-Springfield, the head House Democrat on the Budget Committee, said she wished the legislature would have funded all the projects originally included in House Bill 19.
Speaking after the vote, Patterson said he was interested in addressing some of those failed projects in House Bill 19, either through a special session or a supplemental budget bill.
In another almost unanimous vote, the House passed a different bill related to storm relief. It will expand who could qualify for the aid from the Missouri Housing Trust Fund.
The legislation immediately transfers the money for emergency aid from the Housing Trust Fund to the Missouri Housing Development Commission.
The bill also expands who would be eligible for that aid, from the current 50% mark for regional average median income to 75%.
Stadium funding for Kansas City Chiefs and Royals
In a tighter vote, the House passed the state's plan for keeping the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.
Members of the House voted 90-58 to pass the legislation.
The stadium portion of the bill allows the state to help pay for new stadiums or stadium renovations for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.
It does that by providing matching funds covering annual bond payments to the amount that the team is currently generating in taxes in Missouri.
"It's that tax liability that the State of Missouri is going to take in and appropriate right back out to make those bond payments for that team. So, I look at it kind of as a self-funding mechanism," said Rep. Chris Brown, R-Kansas City.
Through the legislation, total state dollars would not exceed 50% of total project costs.
The cost of the program could vary depending on the size of the project. However, one estimate has the program costing roughly $1.5 billion over a 30-year period.
The measure contains a claw back provision, meaning that if a team leaves Missouri after funds are committed to a project, it will be responsible for paying back the state.
Michelle Hataway, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, testified on Tuesday during a House hearing that if the teams took advantage of the program, they would have to stay for a minimum of 30 years.
"For the first, one year to 25 years, if the teams leave, they have to claw back everything that they've paid, everything that the state has paid for the project, if it's year 26 to 30, all they have to do, instead of clawing back all of it, they have to make the state whole," Hataway said.
The plan is only applicable for NFL and MLB stadiums with a seating capacity of more than 30,000. That means it could apply to the St. Louis Cardinals down the line.
The bill is a response to action from Kansas, which passed legislation offering to pay 70% of the cost of building new stadiums.
Reaction on the House floor to the legislation was mixed, with Democrats and Republicans speaking both for and against the bill.
Rep. Jamie Gragg, R-Ozark, voted against the legislation. He said on the floor that his district won't have an economic windfall if the Chiefs stay.
"I'm in Christian County. My people don't go to the game very often. I don't get dollars from the Chiefs," Gragg said. "Now, do I want to keep the Chiefs? Hands down yes, don't ever think that I don't. I love the Chiefs, but if they move, the state of Missouri will not become Cowboys fans."
Rep. Mark Sharp, D-Kansas City, was doubtful of some comments made by House members that economic value would remain if the teams left Missouri.
"Maybe some folks will still stay, but if the Chiefs relocate to the Legends area in Kansas, that's a 45-minute drive," Sharp said. "Who's staying in downtown Kansas City, then?"
With the legislation passed, it's now up to the teams to decide where they will end up. While both the Royals and the Chiefs have called Missouri's plan competitive, neither have committed to staying.
Kansas' bond proposal is set to expire at the end of this month.
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City, said she would call on the teams to make a decision.
"We bent over backwards here in the Missouri legislature to deliver them something by the end of their imposed deadline of June 30, and I would very much like for them to hold true to that deadline," Aune said.
The stadium legislation also requires "sufficient public investment" made by local governments.
Last year, Jackson County residents rejected a proposed sales tax that would have funded a new Royals stadium.
Patterson said he thinks a vote would go better this time around.
"I think given this year, people would know this is it. They're going to leave if they don't have this investment. I think people will really come out and support the Chiefs," Patterson said.
Additional tax provisions
The stadium funding bill also contains other tax-related measures.
One of them is related to disaster relief. It allows taxpayers to claim a tax credit for an amount not exceeding $5,000 for the insurance deductible incurred by the taxpayer during the 2025 calendar year as a direct result of a disaster.
The disaster must be one where the governor has requested a presidential disaster declaration.
The credit can be carried forward into future tax years.
The bill also extends the expiration date of a tax credit toward amateur and collegiate sports events.
Supporters of the legislation say the tax credit, which is scheduled to expire this year, is why the state got tournaments like the Frozen Four for NCAA hockey in St. Louis this year.
Finally, the legislation contains language that would reduce or freeze property tax increases.
That portion requires some Missouri counties to place on the ballot a question of whether to grant a property tax credit.
The measure is inconsistent across counties. Some, like Jackson, Boone and St. Louis counties, are completely exempt from this portion of the bill.
Some counties will decide whether to limit property tax liability increases to 5% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is greater in a given year.
Other counties will have the option to freeze their property taxes.
The lack of unity on how this will affect Missouri counties caused some House members to doubt the constitutionality of the measure.
"I think many of the individuals here in this room are concerned about the idea of being able to bring tax relief to their citizens back home. I believe that portions of this bill will be struck down by the Missouri State Supreme Court because it does not pass the sniff test," said Rep. Darin Chappell, R-Rogersville.
Also included in the bill is a severability clause, meaning if a portion of the bill were to be struck down in court, the other sections of the bill would still be valid.
Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, D-Columbia, expressed her concerns about the property tax measure on the floor. Although she voted yes on the bill, she said she is expecting challenges to the property tax section.
"Honestly, in my vote today, I'm banking on the fact that it will not hold up in court," Steinhoff said.
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