Kansas City Chiefs

Missouri state Sen. Rick Brattin stepped down as chair of the Missouri Freedom Caucus just days after voting in favor of a Kansas City stadium funding deal. The conservative group criticized the plan as a "handout to billionaire sports team owners."

The Missouri General Assembly appears poised to approve incentives to help the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals build or renovate their stadiums. But questions still remain over whether the teams will take the offer, or move to Kansas instead.

The stadium funding plan now goes to the Missouri House. While Kansas has offered to pay 70% of the cost of new stadiums if the Kansas City teams move, Missouri's offer would cover about half the cost.

The legislation aimed at the Chiefs and Royals is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Missouri would pay up to half the cost of total project costs for building a new stadium or renovating an old one, and would have a clawback provision if the teams leave the state.

The heaviest lift appears to be passing legislation that would allow the state to help fund new stadiums or improvements for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.

A big incentive package from Kansas is expiring soon, the Royals are investing in properties across the metro and lawmakers are already fighting among themselves. Will Missouri's General Assembly be able to reach an agreement and end the drama over stadium funding?

As Missouri lawmakers prepare to debate a counter offer to keep the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City, economists say Kansas’ proposal to use STAR bonds may not be financially feasible. “You are not going to generate enough net revenue to cover one of the facilities, let alone two,” one expert says.

The Senate Freedom Caucus is demanding tax cuts in exchange for not blocking stadium funds for the Royals and Chiefs, while Democrats retaliated for slights during the regular session by derailing the routine work of signing bills. The tensions don't bode well for next week's special session.

In addition to legislation addressing the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs' stadiums, the special session will also focus on tornado relief for St. Louis and several projects that failed to get funded at the last minute.

Many in Missouri wondered whether the bickering and infighting of the past few sessions would derail Gov. Mike Kehoe’s ambitious agenda. But the new governor got many of his priorities passed, including a state takeover of St. Louis Police and funding private school scholarships.

Gov. Mike Kehoe said Friday that he will call back lawmakers for a special session to consider a counteroffer that would keep both Kansas City teams in Missouri. He called it an economic development package.

It's the first time in more than 70 years that the House has adjourned early. The session had been scheduled to end on Friday.