Illinois Assembly Passes Budget, Bears’ Future Uncertain
The Illinois General Assembly approved a new budget totaling $55.9 billion late Sunday night, just ahead of a midnight deadline. Notably, the budget omitted any plans for a new stadium for the Chicago Bears, despite some last-minute efforts from the Illinois Senate to keep the team in the state.
This has left the future of the Bears quite uncertain.
After the midnight deadline, the Illinois Senate voted 37-17 in favor of the revised budget. One significant aspect of this budget is a provision that allows specific municipalities to create regional stadium management authorities. The amended bill received final approval around 4 a.m. local time on Monday and aimed to bolster efforts to retain the Bears in Illinois, particularly at the proposed new location in Arlington Heights.
The new proposal focuses on a public stadium model similar to one being explored in Indiana. The Bears would fund the stadium’s construction but subsequently hand it over to a municipal stadium authority that would manage it. A crucial part of this arrangement is that no property taxes would be required for the stadium, which is something that the Bears are particularly seeking for their new site.
The bill also outlines the creation of a special district to boost retail and entertainment near the proposed Arlington Heights location, which could involve an expected sales tax increase to support financing for the project.
However, the Illinois House of Representatives did not take any action on the modified bill before adjourning. As of Monday morning, there were no signs that lawmakers would be called back into session to consider the revised legislation.
Speaker of the House Emanuel Welch recognized that there’s still much to address, noting, “We will continue to discuss a number of issues this summer, including our approach to the Bears stadium issue.”
Reports indicate that internal polling by the House Democratic Caucus suggests the bill lacks sufficient support to pass.
This development follows a vigorous initiative by the Indiana General Assembly aimed at luring the Bears to Hammond in northwest Indiana, located roughly 40 miles from their current home at Soldier Field.
Back in February, the Indiana State Senate approved the creation of the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority in Hammond, alongside measures to raise county taxes for the project. Officials in Indiana maintain that the projected $1 billion in extra tax revenue would be essential for facilitating stadium infrastructure improvements.
Also noteworthy is that Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed the bill shortly after its approval.
Some critics of the potential relocation to Indiana point to concerns regarding the proposed stadium site, which is near hazardous waste locations, including a Superfund site where “high levels of lead and arsenic were found.”
Meanwhile, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker made remarks through his office following the General Assembly’s decisions. He expressed a commitment to keeping the Bears in Illinois while remaining open to prudent dealings, emphasizing the need to carefully review the new bill that emerged overnight.
Senator Bill Cunningham, who sponsored the stadium powers bill in Illinois, expressed some uncertainty about the likelihood of his bill being enacted. “I talked to all of them. I can’t say if they said they supported it. They said they wanted to know the language,” he mentioned.
The Assembly is not set to reconvene until November unless a special session is called. In the meantime, the Bears issued a statement confirming that they are finalizing their evaluations of both Arlington Heights and Hammond, stating, “We will provide an update once we have a decision to share.”
