The Shawnee Tribe would not be able to use Shawnee Indian Mission land in Fairway for a casino if it were to acquire the 12-acre historic site, according to legislation introduced in the Kansas Statehouse.
Two identical bills — HB 2208 and SB 117 — were formally introduced to the federal and state affairs committees in both the Kansas Senate and House on Monday.
The bills lay out would-be parameters for transferring ownership of one of Johnson County’s most recognizable historic sites from the state to the Shawnee Tribe, a move staunchly opposed by the city, which helps maintain the site.
Bills say the land would remain a historic site
- The bills say the Shawnee Tribe would agree to “grant the state a historic preservation easement” that would limit what the Tribe could do on the land based on “current federal preservation laws regarding properties listed as national historic landmarks.”
- The legislation also states that the tribe “shall not” use Mission land or land nearby “as a casino or gaming facility,” a possibility suggested by Fairway city officials as the Shawnee Tribe has lobbied to acquire the site in recent weeks.
- The Shawnee Tribe would pay any costs associated with buying or acquiring the land, but the property would not be subject to an outside appraisal, the bills say.
- The Shawnee Tribe told the Post in a statement Tuesday night the tribe is pleased “the legislature is moving forward with a bill to save the Shawnee Indian Mission.”
- The statement says the Shawnee Tribe will continue its work in Topeka, including talking to legislators about the Tribe’s “commitment” to making sure the Mission “remains open to the public for generations to come.”
A full version of SB 117, which is identical to HB 2208, is found below:
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Open in new tab A JoCo Republican introduced the House bill
- State Rep. Adam Thomas, a Republican who represents House District 26 covering parts of Olathe and Spring Hill, introduced the House version of the bill.
- Thomas, who identified himself as having Native American heritage though he said he is not enrolled in any tribal nation, told the Post in an interview Tuesday that he sympathizes with the Shawnee Tribe’s claim to the land.
- “These people are very prideful people who just want to preserve their society and historic meaning of these properties,” Thomas said. “They’re not looking for casinos, they’re not looking for anything other than our history and our legacy to be preserved.”
- Thomas said he’s been in contact with the Tribe “pretty much since I’ve got to the Legislature” in 2019.
- He added that he had not been in contact with Fairway, but he’s open to having a conversation with the city, allowing that “there is a lot of angst” about a potential transfer of ownership.
Fairway maintains its opposition
- Fairway City Administrator Nathan Nogelmeier sent the Post a city statement via email on Tuesday night, saying the city plans to continue “to ensure everyone, including Kansas legislators, knows why the Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site is bigger than any one story.”
- The city’s statement points out that tourists and “thousands of students” visit the the site, a designated National Historic Landmark, each year to learn about its history as a pre-Civil War manual labor school for children from several Native tribes, as well as its significance to “Kansas, the trails west.”
- “If the state of Kansas conveys this land to the Shawnee Tribe, much of its history will be lost,” the statement reads. “We are hopeful the Kansas Legislature will recognize what many saw nearly 100 years ago when the state acquired the site…its whole story must be told.”
It’s unclear if the bills will gain traction
- So far, Thomas said, he has not heard any pushback to the bill from other lawmakers.
- The Kansas Legislature’s website currently shows that neither version of the bill has any sponsors, nor are there hearings for the bills scheduled at this time.
- In a previous interview, Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher of Overland Park, who sits on the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, said she thinks “we will have an idea if the bill is getting a hearing and if there is any potential movement for the bill” within two weeks of it being introduced.
Go deeper: What could happen if tribe takes over Shawnee Indian Mission?
