Illinois Lawmakers Line up Vote on Bears Stadium Package

Illinois lawmakers returned to Springfield Tuesday with legislation tied to the Chicago Bears’ proposed stadium plans back on the agenda, setting up a possible House vote as soon as this week.

House Democrats spent hours in a closed-door caucus discussing revisions to the measure, including an expected amendment that would add property tax relief and expand economic development tools aimed at winning over undecided lawmakers, the Daily Herald reported.

The bill centers on a Payments in Lieu of Taxes framework that would allow the Bears and other large developers to negotiate property tax payments directly with local governments for up to 40 years. The mechanism has circulated in Springfield for four years as officials weigh the tradeoff between incentivizing investment and protecting local tax bases.

The Bears have argued the tax structure is essential to advance a long-discussed relocation to a 326-acre former race track site the team owns in Arlington Heights. Without the incentives, the team has floated the idea of taking the project across state lines to Hammond, Indiana, escalating the competition for a marquee, mixed-use stadium district, as previously reported in The Real Deal.

With Democrats holding a 78-seat supermajority in the 118-member Illinois House, leadership is focused on vote counting before bringing the bill to the floor. Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s threshold is 60 votes before calling for a vote on such bills, a move designed to avoid high-profile defeats on major economic legislation, according to the Daily Herald.

State Rep. Kam Buckner, the Chicago Democrat leading negotiations on the stadium package, told reporters he planned to file an amendment Tuesday, with a committee hearing expected Wednesday. While committees met later Tuesday, none publicly debated the megaproject bill as lawmakers advanced other politically charged items, including a proposed “millionaire’s tax” referendum and Welch’s constitutional redistricting proposal, according to the publication.

In Arlington Heights, Village Manager Randy Recklaus said he and other local officials were tracking developments through conversations with lobbyists and Mayor Jim Tinaglia. Recklaus told the outlet that “things are moving in the right direction.”

Timing remains tight, as the House is set to recess Thursday, while the Senate returns next Tuesday and both chambers overlap beginning May 5 ahead of a May 31 spring adjournment. Gov. JB Pritzker supports the bill and has indicated he wants action before the session ends, according to the outlet.

The legislative calendar also intersects with the team’s broader decision-making: Bears Chairman George McCaskey is expected to brief the NFL’s stadium committee April 29, and team President and CEO Kevin Warren has said a site decision could come in late spring or early summer.

— Eric Weilbacher