Governor Kelly Signs Bipartisan Bill Creating Kansas Sports Facilities Authority Act
~~Instrumental Legislation Establishes Governance of Kansas City Chiefs’
New World-Class Stadium, Practice Facility in Kansas~~
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly has signed House Bill 2466, creating the Kansas Sports Facilities Authority Act. The bill enables the construction of a sports facility and related infrastructure for a National Football League (NFL) franchise team to play its home games and extends the Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bonds program. Governor Kelly and the Kansas City Chiefs announced in December 2025 that an agreement has been reached to build a domed stadium and a mixed-use entertainment district, as well as a new team headquarters, training facility, and mixed-use development in Kansas.
“The Kansas City Chiefs’ historic agreement with the State of Kansas is monumental for our economy, creating thousands of new jobs, attracting tourists from around the world, and elevating Kansas as an elite place to put down roots,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This bill provides the necessary governance structure and guardrails to manage and oversee the team’s facilities, ensuring Kansans for generations to come will continue to cheer on our beloved team at home. We’re turning Kansas into a premier destination for sports and entertainment, without raising state taxes or taking funding away from essential services.”
The Kansas Sports Facilities Authority Act establishes the Kansas Sports Facilities Authority to govern the stadium and practice facility. The authority will consist of 11 voting members who are Kansas residents with relevant education, training, and experience related to facility administration, accounting, law, marketing, or other related fields. The authority’s voting members will be the secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce, and one member appointed by each of the following: governor, president of the Senate, speaker of the House of Representatives, the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate, and the team. The mayors of the two cities where the team’s facilities are located would also be entitled to appoint a voting member to the authority, which could be themselves, as long as the city participates in a STAR Bond project. The initial members must be appointed by August 31, 2026. The authority is required to conduct annual independent financial audits, maintain a public website, and submit annual reports to the Legislature.
“This bipartisan legislation establishes a responsible path forward that brings the Chiefs to Kansas while ensuring the State’s investment is carefully structured and protected,” said Representative Sean Tarwater, District 27. “I commend the Legislature for making those protections a priority, and I appreciate Governor Kelly’s support in signing this important bill into law.”
The agreement with the Chiefs is a massive economic win for Kansas, with the construction phase alone creating over 20,000 jobs and $4.4 billion in economic impact for the state. From there, the stadium will bring over $1 billion in annual impact. The agreement is a public-private partnership that includes a $3 billion stadium in Wyandotte County, which will open at the start of the 2031 NFL season, and a new Chiefs headquarters and training facility in the City of Olathe in Johnson County. Both sites will have mixed-use developments that could include sports, entertainment, dining, shopping, office, hotel, and residential properties.
“The Chiefs’ decision to come to Kansas is transformational for our workforce and economy and puts Kansas on the map as a global tourism destination,” said Senator Oletha Faust Goudeau, District 29. “In passing this bipartisan bill, we’re building a brighter future for Kansas by putting responsible structures in place to oversee construction and operation of the stadium and practice facility and be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
In addition to House Bill 2466, Governor Kelly also signed the following bipartisan bills:
Substitute for House Bill 2114: Clarifying which structures shall be considered water obstructions and not a dam, increasing application fees for a permit to construct, modify or add to a dam, requiring preconstruction permit fees, and requiring any licensed professional engineer who conducts inspections to be approved by the chief engineer or a certified intern engineer who is under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer.
House Bill 2116: Requiring cities and counties of certain population sizes to use standard contract provisions as used in state contracts.
House Bill 2192: Limiting or prohibiting work release for people convicted of a second or third offense of domestic battery, requiring an offender convicted of a first offense to undergo a domestic violence offender assessment, excluding certain offenders convicted of a nonperson felony from participation in certified drug abuse treatment programs, and authorizing community correctional services officers to complete criminal risk-need assessments for divertees who are committed to such programs.
House Bill 2413: Providing that theft of livestock or implements of husbandry is a severity level 5, nonperson felony. Additionally, the bill amends the criminal statute for cruelty to animals to exclude the actions of a person who catches a feral cat to provide vaccination, spaying, or neutering and returns the cat back to the location where the cat was caught after providing such care. The bill would also provide enhanced penalties for offenses committed related to transnational repression (TNR) and require the development of TNR recognition and response training.
House Bill 2462: Requiring rules and regulations for potable reusable water to be adopted and making changes to the sunset, funding transfers, and grant process for the Water Technical Assistance Fund and Water Projects Grant Fund.
House Bill 2464: Extending the sunset date of the Angel Investor Tax Credit, the number of years that new credits may be issued or earned for contributions to graduates of aerospace and aviation-related educational programs and employers of program graduates and the tax credits for contributions to the Eisenhower Foundation and Friends of Cedar Crest Association
House Bill 2479: Authorizing electronic monitoring with victim notification as a condition of release prior to trial for certain offenders charged with a domestic violence offense, domestic battery, stalking, or violation of a protective order; increasing penalties for the crimes of endangering a child and aggravated endangering a child when the child is less than 6 years of age; and amending provisions of the Kansas Criminal Code related to the crimes of breach of privacy, blackmail, and unlawful sexual relations.
House Bill 2481: Authorizing local governments to opt in to the sale of alcoholic beverages 23 hours a day, seven days a week, for the duration of the FIFA 2026 World Cup, between May 15, 2026, and July 25, 2026, requiring the collection of transient guest taxes for any short-term rental or vacation unit, and prohibiting city and county governments from limiting the number of permits or other authorizations required for the operation of such units.
House Bill 2482: Removing the requirement that the state board of education use a certain exam provider to deliver certain college entrance and career readiness exams and requiring the board to provide for such exams using any provider.
House Bill 2485: Amending the Kansas blueprint for literacy to provide certain requirements for the state board of education, the state board of regents and school districts with regard to literacy education and reporting; requiring the development of a comprehensive literacy implementation plan; authorizing the chief executive officer of the state board of regents to negotiate and settle any repayment obligations arising under any scholarship, grant, or other financial aid program administered by the board; directing the governor to approve short-term workforce training programs for Pell grant eligibility; providing for the transferability of credentials earned through career readiness assessments toward a degree; prohibiting Kansas promise scholarship awards from being used to fund remedial hours offered as part of corequisite courses; providing requirements for agreements between postsecondary educational institutions and school districts for the provision of postsecondary courses taught in secondary schools.
House Bill 2507:Increasing the cap on certain stamp fees, amending the Kansas Open Records Act, and authorizing the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to adopt certain rules and regulations.
House Bill 2509: Adding advanced practice registered nurse to the definition of healthcare provider for purposes of the healthcare provider insurance availability act and adding an advanced practice registered nurse position to the board of governors of the healthcare stabilization fund. The bill also permits licensed physical therapists to perform certain capillary blood tests.
House Bill 2042: Authorizing the adoption of certain rules and regulations related to hazardous waste monitoring and permit application fees by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
House Bill 2647: Authorizing the Kansas Department of Transportation to establish a statewide conduit system for fiber optic transmissions of broadband connections.
House Bill 2124: Amending the law regarding speed limits in residence districts and the operation of golf carts.
###
|
Courtrooms can be intimidating — especially for a child.
