Pritzker says Bears must express what they want from Illinois, remains open to special session

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The finger-pointing surrounding the Bears stadium saga continues with elected officials from Illinois, Chicago, and Indiana all placing the blame for the continued uncertainty either on each other, or in some cases, on the team.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker spent about 10 minutes touting the highlights from Illinois' eighth consecutive balanced budget. But not until he was probed about the Chicago Bears apparent focus on Hammond, Indiana for a new stadium did he acknowledge the elephant in the room.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

"The reality is that the Bears have to express themselves about what it is that they want," Pritzker said.

Pritzker referenced a bill passed in the House and a different bill passed in the Senate, saying that the Bears now need to make it clear what it is in those two bills that the organization needs in order to build a stadium in Illinois.

While the Bears say they are advancing stadium development in Hammond, Pritzker says he remains open to a special legislative session this summer if an agreement can be reached with the team. And in the meantime, lines of communication remain open.

"I think lots of people have gotten calls, including my administration and me, so they have thoughts, but they have not been clear about what is the bill that they need, and how do they need to look, and then, can they get the votes necessary to get it done in the House and the Senate," Pritzker said.

Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch echoed the governor's sentiments on a special session but downplayed any urgency brought on by the Bears' plans in Indiana.

"The statement that I saw the first week of June was very different than the statement we saw in February. In February, that statement was very specific about Wolf Point. In the statement that came out in June was very generic that they are looking at sites, which tells me that they've taken a step backwards," Welch said.

Meanwhile, in Indiana, Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott touched on the Bears stadium on his Left of Center podcast on Tuesday morning.

"We're getting close, to being, you know... We're getting close," McDermott said.

The mayor spent a few minutes on his podcast reacting to a speech from Republican Sen. Jim Banks from Indiana, who took aim at Pritzker last week, saying his biggest legacy will be losing the Chicago Bears to Indiana. McDermott, a Democrat, said he has been told by other leaders in Indiana to avoid providing any bulletin board material.

"I think that's a better speech a month from now when this thing is over. It's a much better speech in a month than it is right now. I don't think that helps too much," McDermott said.