Committee hears bill to create Kansas sports-tourism grant program; proponents urge post‑event payouts and rural carve‑outs

The House committee took testimony on House Bill 2346, a proposal to create the Kansas Sports Tourism Grant Program to help communities recruit and retain sporting events by providing limited state grants, proponents and committee staff said at a committee hearing.

The bill would establish a Kansas Sports Tourism Grant Committee to review applications and recommend awards; direct the secretary of commerce to disburse approved grants from a Kansas Sports Tourism Program grant fund; and limit total annual grants to a transfer of $3,575,000 from the State Economic Development Initiatives Fund beginning July 1, 2025. Committee members and witnesses discussed eligibility criteria, measurement of economic impact and hotel room nights, administration, and a requested amendment to change how awards are administered.

Provisions and thresholds in the draft bill include a two‑tier allocation of award funds: 60% for events the committee determines will generate at least $2,500,000 in economic impact and 3,000 consumed hotel room nights, and 40% for events that generate at least $250,000 in economic impact or a minimum of 500 consumed hotel room nights. The bill also directs that at least 30% of the smaller‑event allocation be set aside for projects in counties other than Johnson, Wyandotte and Sedgwick. The draft lists eligible expenses (promotions and marketing, bid efforts, site fees, rights fees, rental of equipment or flooring among others) and excludes certain costs (facility building or renovation, debts incurred before receipt of the grant, hospitality or social functions that include…