Bears "mega-projects" bill heads to state Senate

Illinois' plan designed to keep the Chicago Bears from bolting to northwest Indiana is getting closer to the 'red zone' ... but it may not have a clean shot at the end zone.

Members of the state House voted Wednesday night in favor of a sweeping economic development package, which includes the ability for developers of "mega-projects" to negotiate long-term property tax payments with local units of government. Changes made before last night's vote includes a provision that 50% of those negotiated payments would have to be directed toward property tax relief.

"We delivered jobs, economic opportunity for every single area in this state," House Speaker and Chicago Democrat Emanuel "Chris" Welch told reporters at the Capitol after the vote. "What began as a conversation about the Chicago Bears resulted in a statewide tool for economic development, paired with real property tax relief for working people."

Rep. Welch (D-7th District) praised representatives from Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office as well as Senate President Don Harmon for their assistance in crafting the legislation: "We look forward to them getting it done in the Senate. I believe this is gonna pass the Senate. And I believe the Governor's gonna put his signature on it."

A statement released by Gov. Pritzker's office called the vote "an important step," and said the governor's team "looks forward to working with the Illinois General Assembly to advance a bill that reflects our shared priorities."

The Chicago Bears' front office released its own statement saying it welcomes the progress made on the bill, but noting that "additional amendments are necessary to make the Arlington Heights site feasible for our stadium project." The team has said it wants financial help for upgrading roads and other infrastructure around the old Arlington Park site, which it purchased in 2023. The governor has said he's open to supporting infrastructure investments around a new stadium, while insisting the state will give the team no money for the actual venue.

And the governor's Republican challenger in the November election, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, released a statement calling the mega-projects bill a bailout for the team, and suggesting it could lead to higher property taxes for a stadium's potential new neighbors. "The legislature needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with a solution that puts Illinois families first," the statement said.