Missouri legislature

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 lawsuit filed on behalf of two longtime police reform advocates says the takeover violates a ban on special laws and amounts to an unfunded mandate. Multiple lawsuits have previously challenged Missouri's control of Kansas City Police.

Despite no legislative action on boosting Missouri Children's Division starting salaries, Gov. Mike Kehoe says Department of Social Services leaders could soon take action themselves.

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.

The Missouri General Assembly is beginning a special session today, with the primary mission of passing an incentive package for the two Kansas City teams. But after years of drama over new stadiums, and a looming deadline on the Kansas side, the stakes are high.

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 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.

Missouri lawmakers have banned the sale or transport of six invasive plant species, including Callery pear trees. The ban will go into effect Jan. 1, 2029 — to give sellers time to replace their inventories.

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.

Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Republican representing Lee's Summit, says that next year's vote on whether to ban abortion again might not be the end of efforts around how the state regulates the procedure.

Is bipartisanship dead in Missouri? After months of improving cooperation and goodwill, a single move brought it all crashing down.