All Roll Calls
Yes: 470 • No: 176
KansasHB 24662025–2026 Regular SessionHouse
Enacting the Kansas sports authority act, authorizing STAR bond projects in major amusement park areas and extending the expiration date of the STAR bonds financing act.
Sponsored By: Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
Signed by Governor
senate committee on commercehouse committee on commerce
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
20 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 2 costs, 13 mixed.
Tourism projects cannot take private property
Cities and counties cannot use eminent domain to take real property for a STAR bond project. They can sell, transfer, or lease property acquired through other means to a developer under the project plan and agreed terms. Property transferred for a specific project must be used only for that approved project.
Higher financing cap for expanded projects
For the law’s expanded STAR project class, the commerce secretary can approve financing above the general 50% limit. Financing is capped at 70% of total eligible project costs and related costs. Approval is required, and financing can cover only costs already incurred. This helps project financing, not direct household payments.
Kansas extends tourism project financing eligibility
The commerce secretary can find new STAR bond districts eligible through June 30, 2031, replacing the July 1, 2026, cutoff. Cities and counties no longer face a one-year financing application deadline after district creation. The law defines qualifying major amusement park areas, including specified buildings and attractions. A licensed interactive attraction must be at least 25,000 square feet and able to draw more than 100,000 people yearly. Expanded projects also gain an exception to the ban on financing businesses moving from elsewhere in Kansas.
Kansas creates an NFL stadium authority
The law creates the Kansas Sports Facilities Authority to build, finance, own, and run sports facilities and related infrastructure. Its powers must follow Kansas's December 22, 2025, agreement with the Kansas City Chiefs. Its professional sports agreements are limited to NFL teams; agreements with other professional sports franchises are void. The authority's debts are not debts of the state.
More tax revenue for project bonds
With commerce secretary authorization, the Kansas Development Finance Authority can issue bonds for locally established, secretary-approved STAR projects. It can also issue bonds for expanded projects, including those the secretary undertakes without city or county participation. Expanded projects can pledge up to 100% of specified state sales-tax increases and 100% of specified liquor taxes. Other listed revenues require local approval, and sports fund money requires secretary approval. These pledges direct money to bond repayment rather than other uses; earlier bond pledges take priority, and repayment uses only pledged revenues—not state general funds.
Sports wagering money can fund stadiums
The commerce secretary can pledge or spend all or part of the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund. This includes sports wagering revenues already credited or credited in the future. Money can support a professional team's main facility, including construction, repairs, maintenance, management, and operations. It can also pay related bonds, pay-as-you-go financing, ancillary development, and approved community impact projects. The law sets no total funding amount.
Tourism bonds gain longer financing options
The law removes one general 20-year bond maturity limit, but projects still must finish within 20 years after plan approval. Separate limits allow specified expanded projects up to 30 years for special obligation bonds and covered revenue collection. Other projects covered by those separate limits keep a 20-year cap. The Kansas Development Finance Authority can refinance its bonds for a broader set of STAR projects with commerce secretary approval. Longer repayment can keep designated revenues committed to debt for longer.
Residents gain online stadium financing records
The sports authority must maintain a public website with information about all its actions. It must post bylaws, meeting notices and minutes, plus phone and email contacts for public comments. The Department of Commerce must post every STAR bond feasibility study and project plan online. Updated project plans must also be posted as they change.
Less visitor reporting for district businesses
STAR bond feasibility studies no longer need a plan to collect and report visitors’ home ZIP codes. Businesses in STAR bond districts no longer have to supply visitor residence data requested by the commerce secretary. These changes remove specific reporting duties, not all project visitor-tracking rules.
Stadium users face insurance and operating duties
Facility lease, license, use, and management agreements must generally make the other party responsible for liabilities from its activities. Agreements can expressly change that liability rule. Those parties must buy insurance naming the authority as an additional insured, with coverage matching professional sports industry standards. Covered facilities must also be run in a first-class manner, consistent with similar facilities.
Reusing tourism revenues faces new limits
After all project bonds are paid early, including refinancing bonds, project-area revenues generally cannot simply fund a new project. A new tax-increment base and written approval from the commerce secretary and the district's city or county are generally required. The law lists exceptions for projects approved before or after June 30, 2026, and bonds refinancing earlier bonds.
Stadium access includes fees and community use
The authority can charge rent, seat licensing fees, and other fees for facilities it owns, runs, or controls. The law sets no amounts. The authority and team must agree on minimum annual facility use for noncompeting community events by the state and its designees. Community use depends on availability, and the team has scheduling priority. The law sets no minimum number of events.
Cities gain conditional stadium board seats
Mayors of up to two cities hosting authority facilities can appoint board members while their cities participate by ordinance. Their revenue pledges cannot impose the law's barred limits on the commerce secretary or conflict with the December 22, 2025, agreement. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation can share covered appointees' adult conviction and non-conviction records with appointing officials. Any executive director's pay must come from team rent, not public funds, and needs State Finance Council approval.
Local tourism financing keeps approval safeguards
Cities and counties can join secretary-established STAR projects after the initial 60-day period with the secretary's approval. The secretary can establish or change project areas in secretary-established districts without public notice or hearings. Changes to local participation, pledged revenues, or pledged-revenue boundaries still need the affected local government's approval. Local participation measures generally cannot be amended. An amendment needs the secretary's written request and finding that it is necessary; no additional hearing is required.
Local approval required for developer transfers
Developers need local approval to transfer real property acquired under the STAR bond property provision. A transfer is valid only with a two-thirds vote of the city or county governing body where the property sits. This gives local officials control over transfers while limiting developers’ ability to transfer the property.
Stadium authority gets purchasing and utility exemptions
The authority and its contractors must use competition when the authority decides it is reasonable and practical. Covered purchases are exempt from specified state bidding rules, and the authority receives other listed state-law exemptions. Its electric service is exempt from the retail electric suppliers act. It must use a provider already serving at least one certified Kansas territory. Utility and energy services to or from the authority are exempt from local ordinance fees.
Tourism developers face visitor performance checks
Projects approved on or after July 1, 2026, get goals for visitors from at least 100 miles away and outside Kansas. Annual monitoring starts in the fifth calendar year following the year bonds are first issued. Developers missing goals must address problems, including reasonable strategies at their expense, before the secretary approves more bonds. Districts receiving state sales-tax money must collect visitor totals until related debt is paid, no later than bond maturity. Reports must include the data, without information identifying individual visitors.
Local tourism bonds gain revenue sources
STAR bonds can use sales-tax growth above the base-year amount from businesses across one or more project areas. Collection is no longer limited to the part of a district occupied by a project. The law also adds financing sources. With commerce secretary approval, cities and counties can pledge community improvement or transportation development district revenues. A county's pledge for a project in a city district cannot include tax shares allocated to cities.
Tourism bonds cannot pledge general funds
Cities and counties cannot pledge state general fund money to repay the specified STAR special obligation bonds. The law also removes state government assistance from listed repayment sources for certain bonds and rural redevelopment costs. Private sources, contributions, and federal assistance remain listed.
Tax breaks for public sports facilities
The Kansas Sports Facilities Authority pays no Kansas property or general ad valorem taxes on qualifying property. This covers sports facilities, infrastructure, and other authority public purposes. Purchases to build, equip, or furnish authority sports facilities and infrastructure are exempt from state and local sales and use taxes. That purchase exemption ends when bonds under the December 22, 2025 agreement are fully repaid, up to the maximum authorized principal. These breaks lower project costs and tax collections; the law gives no dollar estimate or direct household tax cut.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
Affiliation unavailable
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 4/23/2026
Yea: 30 Nay: 10
Yes: 30 • No: 10
House vote • 4/23/2026
Yea: 78 Nay: 44
Yes: 78 • No: 44
House vote • 4/23/2026
Yea: 34 Nay: 6
Yes: 34 • No: 6
House vote • 4/23/2026
Yea: 93 Nay: 28
Yes: 93 • No: 28
House vote • 3/27/2026
Conference Committee Report was adopted
Yes: 78 • No: 44
Senate vote • 3/27/2026
Conference Committee Report was adopted
Yes: 30 • No: 10
Senate vote • 3/19/2026
Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended
Yes: 34 • No: 6
House vote • 2/11/2026
Final Action - Passed
Yes: 93 • No: 28
Actions Timeline
Engrossed on Sunday, March 29, 2026
4/9/2026HouseEnrolled and presented to Governor on Friday, April 3, 2026
4/9/2026HouseApproved by Governor on Thursday, April 9, 2026
4/9/2026HouseConference committee report now available
3/27/2026SenateConference Committee Report was adopted; Yea 30, Nay 10
3/27/2026SenateConference Committee Report was adopted; Yea 78, Nay 44, Absent 3
3/27/2026HouseMotion to accede adopted; Sen. Larry Alley, Sen. Stephen Owens and Sen. Oletha Faust Goudeau appointed as conferees
3/24/2026SenateNonconcurred with amendments; Conference Committee requested; appointed Rep. Sean Tarwater, Rep. Jill Ward and Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton
3/23/2026HouseCommittee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
3/19/2026SenateCommittee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
3/19/2026SenateEmergency Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 34, Nay 6
3/19/2026SenateCommittee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by Senate Committee on Commerce
3/16/2026SenateHearing: Monday, March 9, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 159-S
3/9/2026SenateReferred to Senate Committee on Commerce
2/12/2026SenateFinal Action - Passed; Yea 93, Nay 28, Absent 4
2/11/2026HouseReceived and Introduced
2/11/2026SenateCommittee of the Whole - Be passed
2/10/2026HouseCommittee Report recommending bill be passed by House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
2/5/2026HouseHearing: Monday, February 2, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 346-S
2/2/2026HouseIntroduced
1/15/2026HouseReferred to House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
1/15/2026House
Bill Text
As Amended by Senate Committee on Commerce
As Introduced
Enrolled
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