STATE CAPITOL — Governor Mike Kehoe called for a special session Friday to work on a financial package to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in Missouri. Kehoe’s announcement came after Senate Republicans ended this year’s legislative session 2 days early without taking the Chiefs and Royals package to a vote.
Lawmakers will consider funding a proposal to build or renovate a stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs and build a new ballpark for the Kansas City Royals in Missouri. The leases of both teams expire at Missouri’s Truman Sports Complex in 2031. The Governor did not give specifics on a date for the special session.
Kehoe said, “We haven’t decided a date yet. I’m one of those people that like to work with leadership of both the House and Senate to find out. No date will be easy. That is a critical piece of economic development that I’d like to make sure that we could solidify our offer with legislative approval.”
Kehoe hoped the special session would begin in early June 2025 as the Chiefs and Royals considered a generous financing plan in Kansas that could expire in June 2025. Kehoe said everything was on the table for discussion during the special session. The Governor said he was considering his options about a House Joint Resolution approved during the final moments of this year’s legislative session that puts a question on the November 2026 ballot asking Missourians to amend the State Constitution to ban most abortions.
Kehoe said, “We just had that happen this week where they passed it. We haven’t looked at what all the options are. We don’t have a date certain that we would look for calling that. If nothing happens, I believe it happens in November 2026. We’ll look at what the options are and what’s good for Missourians.”
Kehoe would not say whether he would sign the Senate bill that scraps the mandatory sick leave in Proposition A. He said he was not a big fan of mandates. The Governor had a total of 67 bills on his desk waiting for his signature.