By Morgan Chilson
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation that would have created a sports tourism grant program focused on expanding state investment in sporting events.
Kelly on Monday vetoed House Bill 2346, saying the state already has a fund devoted to drawing sports-related activities, referring to the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund, which is being used along with Sales Tax and Revenue bonds to fund the public investment in the new Kansas City Chiefs stadium.
“If the Legislature wants to direct a portion of those funds to local communities for sports attraction they should do so,” she said.
HB 2346 would have established the new grant program at the Kansas Department of Commerce to provide dollar-for-dollar matching grants to support sports tourism events.
On Monday, Kelly also allowed House Bill 2018 to become law without her signature. The bill makes it a crime to interfere in a religious assembly and creates a right of civil action if an offense occurs.
“This bill is born out of a tension between two fundamental rights: the right to freely practice religion and the right to freedom of expression,” Kelly said in a news release. “This type of tension is not uncommon in a democracy that has enumerated as many constitutional rights as we enjoy and seek to protect today.”
Kelly said she’s concerned the new law prioritizes one of those rights over the other and “will result in costly litigation.”
In addition to creating misdemeanor and felony charges for disruption of religious services, the bill enables state courts to impose fines against violators ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 for each infraction. It also granted individuals an opportunity to file lawsuits in state court if injured during intrusions of religious activity.
