Kauffman Stadium

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?

The governor's plan to convince the Chiefs and Royals to stay in Missouri hit a wall of resistance in the Senate. It now appears to be dead after Republican lawmakers cut off debate and forced through measures to ban abortion and repeal paid sick leave.

Some legislators in both chambers objected to the move since the House unexpectedly failed to pass the part of the budget funding capital improvement projects across the state last week.

Under the plan from Gov. Mike Kehoe, the state would help pay up to half the cost of a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals and a refurbished Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs, though the overall cost was not clear. Mayor Quinton Lucas said Kansas City "strongly supports the legislation."

After voters overwhelmingly rejected the stadium sales tax last year, Jackson County and Missouri officials are struggling to coordinate on a plan to stop the teams from moving to Kansas. The only viable stadium bill now centers around Clay County.

Jackson County legislator Sean Smith says it's essential for the county to "straighten out the property tax debacles" if it wants to keep the Chiefs and Royals local. Smith was one of two county lawmakers to meet with Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe last week for closed-door discussions over the matter.

Jackson County legislator Sean Smith, who along with a handful of local lawmakers met with Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe last week, says it's essential for the county to "straighten out the property tax debacles" if it wants voters to pass a future stadium sales tax measure to keep the teams in town.

The Jackson County Legislature voted Monday against placing the proposed sales tax on the November ballot. It would have only supported the Chiefs in a play to keep the team in Missouri, leaving negotiations with the Royals to Kansas City and Missouri.

Mayor Quinton Lucas told KCUR’s Up To Date that he’d like to find alternative ways to pay for the baseball team’s future stadium. “Why should every person in Jackson County pay a sales tax to support something that they may never use?” he asked.

The Royals are the latest team to adopt the MLB's Go-Ahead Entry facial recognition system, addressing fan complaints about the slow-moving ticket scanning process at entry gates.