The frustrated quantum spin-one-half Heisenberg model on the triangula
r and kagome lattices is mapped onto a single species of fermion carry
ing statistical flux theta = pi. The corresponding Chern-Simons gauge
theory is analyzed at the Gaussian level and found to be massive. This
provides a new motivation for the spin-liquid Kalmeyer-Laughlin wave
function. Good overlap of this wave function with the numerical ground
state is found for small clusters.