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JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Senate early Thursday approved a more than $1.5 billion plan aimed at keeping Kansas City’s professional sports teams from being lured across the state’s western border.

Meeting late into the night in a special session called by Gov. Mike Kehoe, Senate Republicans rushed to trade votes for the stadium plan by raising the ante on aid for victims of St. Louis’ May 16 tornado from Kehoe’s $25 million initial offering to $100 million. They also backed a brick-and-mortar construction bill that helped gain votes for the stadium package from some reluctant Republicans.

A lack of clarity from the Trump administration on whether the federal government remains in the business of assisting weather-torn areas was prominent in the outcome.

The plan now heads to the GOP-controlled House, which is expected to convene Monday and adopt the plan.

Mayor Cara Spencer praised Kehoe and a handful of senators, including Democrats Steve Roberts and Karla May of St. Louis and Brian Williams of University City, for ensuring “meaningful aid from the state.�

“We’re grateful to the community for highlighting this need and will continue working to get this through the House,� Spencer said. “We still desperately need FEMA assistance, and we are pushing the federal government to join this unprecedented bipartisan, statewide effort to help the thousands of St. Louisans and Missourians who need emergency assistance now.�

The biggest fight of a long night of debate was over granting property tax relief in the Kansas City area against the backdrop of giving tax breaks to wealthy sports team owners.

“In the grand scheme of things, we’re talking about a giveaway to billionaires. I feel like we’re living in an alternative universe,� said Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette.

The stadium measure was approved on a narrow 19-13 vote.

Kehoe called lawmakers back to the Capitol just two weeks after they adjourned their regular session after failing in his bid to secure a plan designed to stop the Royals and Chiefs from moving to Kansas when the lease runs out on their stadiums in 2031.

The Royals plan to build a new stadium and surrounding entertainment district totaling $1 billion to $2 billion in the coming years. The Chiefs are considering $1.15 billion in upgrades to Arrowhead stadium.

Both teams want taxpayer help. Kansas has proposed paying for 70% of those costs at a location west of the city and set a June 30 deadline for the teams to decide.

Under the agreement, Missouri would back about 50% of those same stadium costs, making 30 years of bond payments equal to the annual state tax revenue generated by the teams. Local governments also would have to provide some aid for the teams. The St. Louis Cardinals also would be eligible for aid, although Busch Stadium was not the focus of the effort.

The state assistance would cost taxpayers an estimated $1.5 billion over 30 years. The teams have not committed to stay in the state.

To get to that deal, Kehoe had to appease Democrats and members of his own party who loathed the idea of sending tax dollars to the teams.

Opponents decried the political horse-trading that pitted money for tornado victims against wealthy professional sports team owners.

“I’ve never seen such a disaster in my life,� McCreery said. “We’re in a special session because Republicans couldn’t get their act together in regular session.�

Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, argued against spending money on disaster relief, saying victims should take personal responsibility for dealing with storm damage.

“I don’t think some of this is the proper function of government,� Moon said.

At the same time, Moon also said the owners of the teams should take responsibility for building their own stadiums.

No property tax relief

Sen. Joe Nicola, R-Kansas City, said the package ignores residents in his district who are facing increases in their property tax bills.

“I have constituents suffering under these horrendous property taxes,� Nicola said.

Nicola stalled action in the chamber for hours seeking to attach an amendment on the stadium bill that would cap local residential property tax increases in mostly Republican counties at 2.5% annually.

Democrats said the proposal from the freshman senator would slash revenue for local governments, schools and hospitals.

“We’re defunding our police,� said Sen. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City. “I want to call 911 and know they’re coming.�

The debate became testy at times. Nicola took umbrage at Washington’s request for him to stop interrupting her during a spirited debate.

“If I don’t want to be quiet, I don’t have to be quiet. You’re not going to bully me, senator,� Nicola said.

The exchange came less than a month after the Republican majority used a rare parliamentary maneuver to silence Democrats to end the regular legislative session, leaving the last-minute stadium plan unfinished.

The funding boost for storm-ravaged St. Louis came after the mayor’s office and a top labor union official lobbied members of the Senate during a hearing Tuesday. The $100 million allocation to be distributed by the state’s public safety agency is specifically dedicated to the city, which says it has tallied 16,000 parcels of property affected by the May 16 storm.

Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, D-Affton, had demanded the additional dollars on Monday and vowed to block the stadium plan until it was also approved in the House.

Rank-and-file members urged Beck to stick to his guns.

“If I was in charge that’s what I would do,� said Sen. Patty Lewis, D-Kansas City.

The measure was approved on a 23-10 vote.

The Senate’s actions could pave the way for quick action in the House, which has stayed on the sidelines while the Senate navigated a trickier path to passage.

Kehoe closes the deal

Kehoe expended a significant amount of political capital in trying to keep the teams in Missouri. On Wednesday, he employed his sales skills as a longtime Jefferson City car dealer in a bid to move the package forward. He met with multiple senators in multiple offices throughout the morning, attempting to close the deal.

On Wednesday afternoon, his office issued a new outline for the special session that included the additional elements needed to win support. The Senate gaveled in at 5 p.m. to begin their day and worked past 2:30 a.m. Thursday to finalize the package.

“After productive conversations with members of the Missouri General Assembly this week, we are amending our special session call to allow for additional legislation in the areas of disaster relief, tax policy, and budget investments,� Kehoe said in a statement.

In addition to the added relief dollars for St. Louis, there also are provisions to help offset insurance and property tax liabilities of people affected by the storm. Another $25 million will go to other areas of the state facing tornado clean-up costs.

Also in the mix is about $360 million in brick-and-mortar projects that were left on the wayside during the Legislature’s regular session.

The University of Missouri will receive $50 million in state aid for a research nuclear reactor after Kehoe had previously called for $25 million.