The Chicago Bears are no closer to finalizing plans for a new stadium in Illinois. After the state Senate approved the megaprojects bill in May, the House of Representatives passed a $55.9 billion state budget on Sunday night and then adjourned without including a plan for the Bears.
According to NBC Chicago, the megaprojects bill would give tax breaks to projects of $100 million or more and encompass the Bears’ proposed 326-acre facility in Arlington Heights, Ill. However, that legislation now hangs in limbo.
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The $55 billion budget bill is headed to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to be signed and approved, and while it does not contain any provisions for the Bears, Pritzker’s office did release a statement regarding the omission.
“Governor Pritzker is a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars who has always wanted the Bears to remain in Illinois and been open to a sensible deal, so the Governor’s Office needs to carefully review this new bill that was recently made public overnight," it said.
Meanwhile, the Bears released a statement of their own. “We will finalize our evaluation of both Arlington Heights and Hammond, and remain on the late spring/early summer timeline that we have previously communicated," the statement said. "We will provide an update when we have a decision to share.”
Should Illinois lawmakers pick back up the megaprojects bill this summer — a special session has not yet been called — they will be up against a competitive $1 billion offer from Indiana lawmakers luring the Bears to Hammond, Ind.
The megaprojects bill centers on a publicly-owned stadium, similar to Soldier Field, and would allow the Bears to negotiate a payment system rather than pay property taxes. The Bears would finance the construction of the stadium and then turn it over to a municipal stadium authority to lease it back. The Bears would be required to pay property taxes on the rest of the 326-acre plot of land.
While Illinois’ representatives failed to include the megaprojects bill as they passed the latest budget, other lawmakers continue to question if the Bears should leave Chicago at all. And all the while, Indiana is calling.
