Chicago Bears Sticking to Stadium Timeline Amid Uncertainty with Illinois Incentives
The Senate approved a new public-ownership financing plan as the House adjourned without a vote, leaving the Bears’ stadium decision unresolved.
- Early Monday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill 37-17 enabling municipalities to create stadium authorities, leaving the Chicago Bears' stadium search in limbo once again.
- Lawmakers' initial 'megaprojects' bill, which offered Payments in Lieu of Taxes property tax relief, failed to gain sufficient support from Chicago Democrats, prompting the last-minute Senate alternative.
- Under the new framework, municipalities with populations over 70,000 can form authorities to own stadiums, while the Bears would finance construction and avoid all property taxes on the facility.
- Despite the Senate's 37-17 vote, the House adjourned Monday morning without calling the bill, leaving the Bears to continue evaluating Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana as potential stadium sites.
- Illinois House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch ruled out a special session, and lawmakers won't return until November, yet the Bears remain on their late spring or early summer timeline for a decision.
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66 Articles
Pritzker, Leaders Defend Adjourning Without Bears Deal: ‘We Didn’t Have Time’
Hours after Illinois lawmakers failed to approve a stadium incentives structure aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledged that the “pride and joy of Illinois” may take a deal to build a football palace in Indiana.
Illinois lawmakers copy Hoosier plan to keep Bears at home
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Illinois Senate ran out of both ideas and time in the state’s bid to convince the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium near the team’s ancestral home. Literally after the last minute, the lawmakers threw a pass that was completed for a first down but fell short of the goal line. [...]
The Toronto Star
Chicago Bears sticking to stadium timeline amid uncertainty with Illinois incentives
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears are sticking with their current timeline for selecting a site for a new stadium amid an uncertain future for a proposal in the Illinois
AFP-IL Statement on Megaproject Bill Failure
SPRINGFIELD, IL — Americans for Prosperity–Illinois (AFP-IL) today responded to the Illinois General Assembly’s failure to pass megaproject legislation before the end of session, highlighting the defeat of harmful provisions that would have put property taxpayers at risk. The General Assembly did not rush through a late-night stadium deal that was not fully vetted and carried significant risk for taxpayers. But more work remains to be done to …
Illinois Senate passes Bears stadium bill hours after midnight deadline
The Illinois Senate early Monday morning passed legislation aimed at keeping the Bears in Chicago, sending it to the House for another vote.The stadium authority bill passed with a vote of 37-17, hours after the midnight deadline for meeting adjournment.Lawmakers reportedly scrapped a Bears megabill on Sunday.The bill does not have a set effective date, but could become law on June 1, 2027, if it receives a majority vote.In February, Indiana Gov…
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