KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas House passed a bill Tuesday night that would create a Sports Authority Board to oversee the new Chiefs stadium that will open in 2031.
The bill passed by a vote of 79-41.
Rep. Sean Tarwater (R - 27th District), who chairs the House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development, introduced HB 2793, The Kansas Sports Authority Act, last week.
The act would provide for the construction, financing, and management of certain sports facilities and sports facility infrastructure and create venues for professional sports and other events.
The Chiefs and Kansas officials announced a deal in December 2025 for the team to build a new $3 billion domed stadium in the Village West District of Kansas City, Kansas, and a new team headquarters and practice facility off of Kansas Highway 10 and Ridgeview Road in Olathe.
In the months since, elected officials in KCK and Olathe have approved local districts to capture certain sales tax revenues to help pay off STAR bonds financing the developments.
In the case of the stadium in Wyandotte County, taxpayers will own the facility. The Sports Authority Act would operate similarly to the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority's oversight of the Truman Sports Complex.
Tuesday, the bill was changed to allow the Mayors of Kansas City, Kansas and Olathe to be voting members of the Kansas Sports Facilities Authority board.
Seven of the other members on the board would be appointed by the governor, Senate President, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, Speaker of the House, House Majority Leader, and House Minority Leader.
The Kansas Commerce Secretary and a representative from the Chiefs would also be on the board.
The bill also includes guidelines to ensure the Sports Authority is subject to Kansas open meeting rules and ensures the Executive Director of the board gets their salary from team rent payments and not from public funds.
The bill now goes to the Senate.
