Sports Tourism, World Cup Spending Dominate House Committee Agendas
Commerce panel advances sports event grant bill as Kansas positions itself for economic windfall
TOPEKA — With the FIFA World Cup looming over the 2026 session, the House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee recommended passage of an amended substitute bill for HB 2346, which deals with sports tourism event grants, signaling lawmakers' intent to capitalize on Kansas's proximity to World Cup venues.
The committee's action on the sports tourism grants comes alongside the World Cup emergency declaration and reflects a broader legislative strategy to position Kansas as a beneficiary of the international event. The bill's details were not fully outlined in Thursday's journal, but the committee recommended further amendments to the substitute version, suggesting ongoing negotiations over eligibility criteria, funding levels or geographic targeting of the grants.
The same committee also advanced HB 2737 with recommended amendments. Taken together, the two bills represent a significant push from the commerce panel early in the session, and the sports tourism measure in particular is likely to attract attention from both the hospitality industry and fiscal watchdogs as it moves to the House floor.