Illinois Democrats are continuing to debate legislation aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in the state, but huge hurdles remain.
Democrats caucused on Tuesday in Springfield as the Illinois House remains in session, and while no votes had taken place, there is still some hope that a bill could be voted upon at some point this week.
Among the challenges addressed by lawmakers on Tuesday was the idea of property tax relief for the Bears, with the team seeking a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) bill that would ultimately be available for other large businesses seeking to relocate to the state.
Some Chicago Democrats have raised concerns about such a bill, since it would provide incentives to the Bears to build a stadium in Arlington Heights and a leg up over potentially locating that stadium within Chicago city limits.
“It would be great to have equal incentives for Chicago and Arlington Heights, and I don’t see that right now on the table,” State Rep. La Shawn Ford said. “I have to tell you, it would be difficult (to approve such a deal). The devil is in the details to find out exactly where the actual bill lands.”
Another potential stumbling block is the Chicago Park District, who would want funds to help renovate Soldier Field if the Bears were to leave the lakefront stadium. According to city estimates, Chicago rakes in around $50 million per year from events at Soldier Field, and as a result the city would seek up to $630 million in funding to help renovate the stadium to make it a better music venue.
The previous renovation at Soldier Field, completed in the early 2000s, still hasn’t been fully paid for, with the state still on the hook for approximately $350 million in unpaid bonds on the project.
Finally, the Bears would have to pony up to break their lease at Soldier Field, potentially to the tune of up to $84 million.
Another question that arose this week is whether House Speaker Chris Welch will stick to his rule about bringing legislation to the floor of the chamber only when he has adequate support. Currently Welch will only bring bills up for a vote if 60 Democrats are in support of the bill, and it’s unclear if he has enough support within his caucus for such a vote at this time.
If the bill does end up passing the House this week, it would still be another several days before the Senate would take up the measure, as they won’t go back into session until next week, according to officials.
The news of the possible Illinois vote comes amid several intriguing developments in the saga. That includes Bears executives, including President and CEO Kevin Warren, meeting with Indiana officials at a Hammond golf course, just steps from the area where the state has proposed to locate a new stadium for the team.
The NFL is also expected to hold a meeting on April 29 with its stadium committee, and the lone item on the agenda will be a progress update on the Bears’ stadium project.
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