Illinois legislators wrapped up their spring session on Monday without taking action on a proposal designed to prevent the Chicago Bears from potentially moving to Indiana for their new stadium.
The legislation, introduced by State Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), would allow municipalities in Cook County with more than 70,000 residents — including Arlington Heights and Chicago — to create their own sports stadium authorities. The Bears would cover construction costs, having allocated $2 billion for the project, while building on publicly-owned property.
The proposal would allow the Bears to benefit from stadium construction by limiting their tax obligations to only the property around the stadium. In Arlington Heights, for instance, the team has development plans for land next to the proposed stadium location. The Bears would then transfer ownership of the stadium to the newly formed sports authority and enter into a lease arrangement.
While the Illinois Senate approved the measure 37-17 at 3:39 a.m. Monday, the House ended its session less than an hour afterward without holding a vote. Lawmakers will not reconvene until the fall veto session in October unless the governor calls a special session.
The Bears are weighing options between constructing their new facility in Arlington Heights, where they possess a 326-acre tract at the former Arlington International Racecourse location, or in Hammond, Indiana. The franchise has maintained its Illinois home base since its founding in 1920, never playing a home game outside the state. However, Indiana recently enacted similar legislation to Cunningham’s proposal, aimed at attracting the Bears to build a domed facility in Hammond, which sits less than 30 miles from Chicago.
“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 Bears stated. “We will provide an update when we have a decision to share.”
