Illinois Senate Advances Bears Stadium Bill for Cities Over 70,000 as Suburban Push Stalls
Updated
Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 2
Illinois Senate Advances Bears Stadium Bill for Cities Over 70,000 as Suburban Push Stalls
3 articles · Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 2
Summary
A new Illinois Senate bill would let Chicago and other Cook County municipalities with at least 70,000 residents create stadium financing authorities to negotiate with teams, giving Chicago fresh leverage to keep the Bears.
That momentum came as lawmakers blocked a separate measure the Bears had long sought to ease a move from Soldier Field to the suburbs, a result Mayor Brandon Johnson said leaves Chicago ahead of Arlington Heights and Hammond.
Johnson argued Chicago already has a public lakefront dome framework and ongoing talks with the team, while suburban and Indiana options still lack studies or agreement terms.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun nonetheless said he expects the Bears to announce within a month that they will break ground in Hammond, where lawmakers have approved new stadium-funding taxes.
The Springfield wins also bolstered Johnson politically, with digital and social media tax measures advancing and his coalition helping preserve municipalities' share of state income-tax revenue.