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Missouri Senate Bill Could Complicate Extending Bonds To Fund New Stadium

Edward Jones Dome, the current home of the St. Louis Rams.  A bill has been filed in the Mo. Senate that would bar the governor from extending existing bonds without legislative approval.  Extending current bonds for the Edward Jones Dome has been proposed to help fund a new NFL stadium in St. Louis.
Edward Jones Dome, the current home of the St. Louis Rams. A bill has been filed in the Mo. Senate that would bar the governor from extending existing bonds without legislative approval. Extending current bonds for the Edward Jones Dome has been proposed to help fund a new NFL stadium in St. Louis.
Edward Jones Dome, the current home of the St. Louis Rams.  A bill has been filed in the Mo. Senate that would bar the governor from extending existing bonds without legislative approval.  Extending current bonds for the Edward Jones Dome has been proposed to help fund a new NFL stadium in St. Louis.
Credit via Wikimedia Commons
Edward Jones Dome, the current home of the St. Louis Rams. A bill has been filed in the Mo. Senate that would bar the governor from extending existing bonds without legislative approval. Extending current bonds for the Edward Jones Dome has been proposed to help fund a new NFL stadium in St. Louis.

Legislation that could make it harder to finance a new football stadium in St. Louis has been filed in the Missouri Senate.

Senate Bill 319, sponsored by state Sen. RobSchaaf, R-St. Joseph, would bar the governor from extending existing bonds without approval from state lawmakers.

"Thebill really isn't about stadiums – it just happens to be that the issue is a stadium issue," Schaaf said. "It's really about the governor thinking that he could issue bonds under any circumstances for anything without the approval of the legislature."

Schaaf also said that Doug Nelson, commissioner of the Office of Administration, told the Senate Appropriations committee earlier this month that the governor's office believes Nixon has the authority to extend existing bonds without legislative approval.

"(Nelson) said that he thought that (the) current statute allowed the governor to go ahead and have the sports authority issue these bonds," Schaaf said.  "We have to put a stop to that immediately." 

BothHouse and Senate leaders have expressed opposition to providing any sort of state aid for a new NFL-caliber football stadium. Funding for the proposed riverfront stadium would include up to $350 million that would come from extending the current bonds on the Edward Jones Dome.  Rams owner StanKroenke has unveiled plans to build a new stadium in Inglewood, Calif., near downtown Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, says he and a group of other senators plan to deliver a letter to state Attorney General Chris Koster asking for a legal opinion on whether the governor can extend existing bonds without legislative approval.

Nixon administration officials have not responded yet to requests for comment.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:  @MarshallGReport

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St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.
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