Committee approves Kansas Motorsports Venue Protection Act with dormancy and radius limits

The Committee on Transportation voted to approve House Bill 2416, the Kansas Motorsports Venue Protection Act, after adopting three amendments intended to narrow its scope.

The bill, explained in committee by Joel Skelly of the Kansas Department of Transportation, would provide civil immunity to a racing facility or racetrack in Kansas for certain nuisance and related civil claims if the facility was established before surrounding property owners purchased or improved land next to it. Skelly said the immunity would not apply to claims alleging material violations of state or local law or to conditions prohibited by valid permits.

Supporters framed the measure as protecting long-standing motorsports venues from new nuisance suits after neighbors acquire adjacent property. Representative Delper Dame, who offered the first amendment, said the committee proposed a four-year dormancy threshold so tracks temporarily closed for maintenance or sale could retain protections. "We looked at a period of years to allow that to happen," Delper Dame said, citing Great Bend Track and Heartland Track as local examples that had been shut temporarily. The amendment was seconded by Representative Paul Heisel and adopted by voice vote.

A second amendment set the definition of "surrounding property owner" to include owners within a five-mile radius of a racing facility; proponents described this as a compromise to clarify who qualifies as a nearby owner. That change, explained by committee staff as an amendment to subsection f(2), was seconded by Representative Brunk and adopted by voice vote.

A third, technical amendment changed the bill's publication timing — moving from statutory-book publication (July 1, 2026, under the bill as drafted) to publication in the Kansas Register — so the effective timing aligns with register publication. Representative Delper Dame moved the amendment; Representative Hall Heisel seconded, and the amendment was adopted.

After the amendments, Representative Essex moved that the committee approve HB2416 favorably as amended. The committee approved the motion by voice vote.

What the bill does and what it does not: the act would protect racetracks from nuisance-style civil lawsuits that arise after surrounding-property acquisition or improvements, but it would not provide immunity for legal violations under state or local law or for matters explicitly prohibited by permits. The committee added the dormancy limit and radius definition to address concerns about long-shuttered tracks or uncertain boundaries of "surrounding" owners.

Next steps: With the committee's favorable recommendation, HB2416 will proceed to the next stage in the legislative process. The committee record shows the approvals were by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.

Quotes from the hearing: "Creates the Kansas Motorsports Venue Protection Act. It would provide immunity to a racing facility or racetrack..." — Joel Skelly, Kansas Department of Transportation. "We looked at a period of years to allow that to happen...So we came up with 4 years" — Representative Delper Dame, on the dormancy amendment.

Authorities referenced in committee: the bill text and subordinate statutory definitions as presented in the bill packet. The committee recorded no court decisions or statutes beyond references to general state/local law and permit compliance standards in the bill text.

Action taken: Committee adopted three amendments (4-year dormancy, five-mile radius, publication timing) and voted to approve HB2416 favorably as amended. The votes were voice votes and the transcript records "motion carries" for the amendments and the final motion.

The committee did not record formal roll-call tallies in the transcript. The next procedural step is the bill's consideration on the chamber floor or subsequent committee scheduling.