The future of the Chicago Bears has taken yet another twist as the Illinois legislature ended its session without a bill that would have ensured the team could remain in the state.
NBC Chicago reports the state’s Senate failed to support a House-backed bill that would have provided the team which the ability to negotiate a payment in lieu of property taxes on a new domed stadium that would be built in suburban Arlington Heights. This could have saved the team billion dollars, but it faced pushback from some Chicago-area Democratic senators.
Instead, the Senate voted 37-17 this morning at 4:00 a.m. on a modified bill that would have given several Cook County municipalities the ability to create local stadium authorities. But the House did not vote on that new bill and the legislative session was adjourned.
The Bears have been wooed by Indiana, which has set up the structure to enable a public-private partnership to build the team a new stadium in the city of Hammond, which is a 20-minute drive from Chicago. Mayor Brandon Johnson made a late push to keep the team in the city, but his efforts were spurned by the team and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
House Speaker Emmanuel “Chris” Welch stated, “We’ll continue discussions on a number of issues, including our approach to the Bears stadium question, this summer.” However, there are no current plans to call for a special session to complete work on a Bears-related bill.
The Bears released a statement after the legislature adjourned that said, “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. We will provide an update when we have a decision to share.”
0 Comments