Bears, Illinois get do-over opportunity on new stadium, but will something finally get done?

INDIANAPOLIS — After last week’s breakdown in communication between the Chicago Bears and top Illinois lawmakers, the two sides are back to having constructive talks. The opportunity to do what they failed to do last week — advance legislation through the Illinois House – now seems possible.

While the language is still far from being finalized, there is renewed hope that PILOT legislation could pass in the Revenue and Finance Committee. An amended version of Illinois House Bill 910 was filed Wednesday evening in Springfield and added to the schedule for Thursday’s committee hearing at 10 a.m. Of significance, the filing of the bill came from Rep. Kam Buckner, who has been leading the City of Chicago’s interests during stadium negotiations with the Bears. 

What happens Thursday will be telling. One source close to the situation suggested there will be a push to not only pass the bill in the committee, but also push it to the House Floor for a vote by the end of the day. The same source expressed skepticism that a Floor vote would actually occur. The Illinois House is scheduled to adjourn until March 18 after Thursday’s proceedings, complicating the timing to advance significant stadium legislation. 

Pressure has mounted in Springfield this week, with the neighboring Indiana Senate scheduled to vote on their stadium legislation Thursday just steps away from the NFL Scouting Combine, which has brought Bears chairman George McCaskey and president Kevin Warren to town. 

Multiple sources have insisted since last week that the Bears and Illinois are not far off in their negotiations. Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters at an event in Chicago on Tuesday that “there’s been really broad agreement” about changes the Bears have proposed in recent weeks. 

But while Indiana stadium legislation remains at the one-yard line, the reality is that Illinois still needs more runway to finalize details, including what incentives the City of Chicago will receive from the Bears. The hope is that passing some form of PILOT legislation through a committee on Thursday will be a sign of good faith that Illinois is finally getting serious about keeping the Bears. 

The situation is essentially a do-over opportunity after similar legislation failed to make it to the same Revenue and Finance Committee last Thursday. Indiana, on the other hand, advanced their stadium legislation out of its Ways & Means House Committee with a 24-0 vote. The Bears later called it “the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date” in a statement. 

The events left Pritzker’s team stunned. The statement from the Bears lauding Indiana’s efforts caused the most frustration after what appeared to be a productive week of talks in Illinois. Those talks were put on hold until Warren released a statement to Crain’s Chicago Business that said: “We continue to work with Illinois’ leadership and appreciate the progress being made.” 

Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, all signs point to Senate Bill 27 getting to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk before the Indiana legislative session ends Friday. The bill passed through the Indiana House with a 95-4 vote on Tuesday and is expected to pass in the Indiana Senate on Thursday. If all goes as expected, the Bears would be in a position to commit to building a stadium in Hammond, Ind. at any time.

That reality is accelerating movement amongst lawmakers in Springfield. And what happens Thursday could prove to be crucial. 

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