A lawsuit has been filed over a bill Missouri lawmakers passed in June to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in the state.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A lawsuit has been filed over a bill Missouri lawmakers passed in a special session earlier this summer in an effort to keep Kansas City's professional sports teams in the state.
Senate Bill 3, which was signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe following a special session in June, offers tax incentives to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Royals as each team weighs their options of staying in the state or moving elsewhere. The lease is up for both teams at the Truman Sports Complex in Jackson County in 2031.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday on behalf of one citizen and two Republican lawmakers – Sen. Michael Moon, of Ash Grove, and Rep. Bryant Wolfin, of Ste. Genevieve – who said they voted against the bill.
The lawsuit seeks to declare the bill as "unconstitutional." If the bill is enforced, they argue it would grant public funds to the teams "without clear public benefit."
A spokesperson for Gov. Kehoe, who is named as one of the defendants in the lawsuit, told FOX4 that the office "does not comment on pending litigation."
Gov. Kehoe, who signed the legislation into law on June 14, said at the time that the state would "help finance stadium construction through bond payments and one-time tax credits with built-in protections for taxpayers" in an effort to retain the state's professional sports teams.
A court date has not yet been set in the case, which was filed in Cole County Circuit Court.
You can read the full lawsuit here.
This is a developing story. Stay with FOX4 for the latest updates.
