Gov. Mike Kehoe has signed three bills that state lawmakers passed during a special session.
“We called legislators back to Jefferson City because the stakes were too high to wait —families and communities needed disaster relief, taxpayers deserved certainty, and critical job-saving investments were on the line," Kehoe said in signing the bills Saturday.
"Without action, thousands of Missourians would have been left without much-needed support, and the state would risk losing jobs and economic development opportunities that are key drivers for growth — not just for Kansas City, but for our entire state," he said. "These investments demonstrate that Missouri is committed to taking care of our own, staying competitive, and backing initiatives that secure long-term economic stability for our communities.”
Kehoe signed the bills three days after the Missouri House approved them.
One of the bills contains $100 million in storm relief specifically for St. Louis.
The bill also includes $25 million to go to the Missouri Housing Trust Fund. That money will go toward storm aid, including housing subsidy grants or loans.
Money from that fund will go to areas that incurred storm damage from the May tornado as well as from storms that occurred in March and April in other parts of the state.
The $100 million in storm relief for St. Louis was not originally in the governor’s special session call but was added later after negotiations in the Senate.
The bill also contains funding for other projects in Missouri. That includes $50 million for the Radioisotope Science Center at the University of Missouri Research Reactor, $55 million for upgrades to the Missouri State Fair and almost $50 million for a mental health hospital in Kansas City.
Another bill expands who could qualify for the aid from the Missouri Housing Trust Fund.
The legislation immediately transfers the money for emergency aid from the Housing Trust Fund to the Missouri Housing Development Commission.
The bill also expands who would be eligible for that aid, from the current 50% mark for regional average median income to 75%.
The final bill allows the state to help pay for new stadiums or improvements for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.
That legislation provides matching funds by covering annual bond payments to the amount that the team is currently generating in taxes in Missouri.
The cost of the program could vary depending on the size of the project. However, one estimate has the program costing roughly $1.5 billion over 30 years.
Total state dollars would not exceed 50% of project costs.
The measure also contains a claw back provision, meaning that if a team leaves Missouri after funds are committed to a project, it will be responsible for paying back the state.
The bill is a response to action from Kansas, which passed legislation offering to pay 70% of the cost of building new stadiums.
While the Royals and Chiefs have called Missouri’s plan competitive, neither has committed to staying.
Kehoe called the legislature into special session in late May to pass these bills. Work on the legislation began on June 2, with lawmakers passing all three bills in roughly two weeks.
