KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
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Kansas legislators began their review Friday of a sports stadium authority bill that’s critical to complete the deal to bring the Kansas City Chiefs to Kansas.
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, Friday morning.
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.
The Kansas Sports Facilities Authority would be comprised of a nine-member board. Seven of the members 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 fill out the last two spots on the board.
A joint committee of state representatives and senators has set a hearing on the bill for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, in the old Supreme Court Room, 346-S, at the Capitol in Topeka. The hearing is public.
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