In an era of political dissension, two Kansas House members, one Democrat and one Republican, have joined forces in criticizing Governor Laura Kelly’s apparent attempt at an end-run around the legislature with the latest Kansas effort to lure the Kansas City Chiefs across state lines, this time the team’s training camp.
According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, the scheme involved $50 million in unspent COVID-era American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in the state’s bank account accruing interest. Kelly allegedly was giving $32 million to Washburn University to pay for a training camp for the Chiefs, to entice them to move the training camp from St. Joseph, Missouri to Washburn University in Topeka. Another $19 million was set aside for the new Docking State Office Building in Topeka and $2 million for the Baxter Springs Fire Department.
Rep. Henry Helgerson, a Democrat from Eastborough, ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, told The Sentinel he and Republican Committee Chair Troy Waymaster of Bunker Hill were monitoring the idle ARPA funds when they discovered them missing in March of this year.
The two legislators said they began sending letters and asking questions, only to be stonewalled by the Kelly Administration. Chairman Waymaster told The Sentinel the Docking Building and the Baxter Springs Fire Station eventually received their share of the $50 million: neither of which was authorized by the legislature. The lawmakers discovered the remaining amount was returned to the state’s bank account in early December. Each was told the $32 million or so was earmarked for the training camp relocation, but neither would reveal their sources to the Capital-Journal.
Rep.Helgerson sees two issues with the governor’s actions:
“First, the governor exceeded her authority and spent taxpayer money without legislative approval. Second, we’ve had no information forthcoming from the governor’s office on a possible violation of the Open Records statutes”
Chairman Waymaster agrees and points to what he sees as a separation of power issue:
“I contend that the constitutional power of appropriating state dollars resides exclusively with the Legislature. The executive branch only executes the appropriations of funds by the legislature. We will be monitoring the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to ensure that they are only dispersed by legislative action.”
According to the Capital-Journal, Gov. Laura Kelly’s office didn’t directly respond to questions about whether the money was intended to lure the Chiefs training camp to Topeka and if that effort has failed. The governor’s administration denied any wrongdoing with the handling of the money.
