Illinois General Assembly ends session without passing Chicago Bears stadium bill
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Illinois General Assembly adjourned their spring session Monday without passing a Chicago Bears stadium bill.
The Illinois Senate filed legislation that would pave the way for some communities to strike a deal with the Bears.
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That bill that would allow municipalities with populations of more than 70,000 to create their own stadium authority which would help keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois.
The bill will impact both Arlington Heights and Chicago. The bill would allow the Bears to privately finance a stadium and that stadium would then be owned by the municipality. And because it's a public building, the Bears would not pay property taxes on it.
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The Bears said in a statement Monday, ""We will finalize our evaluation of both Arlington Heights and Hammond, and remain on the late spring/early summer timeline that we have previously communicated. We will provide an update when we have a decision to share."
Illinois state leaders said time is of the essence as Hammond, Indiana is also pushing to give the Bears a new home.
"I believe the importance of tonight is to send the message to the business community, and to the Bears and to the NFL, That we're serious, we want you as a customer, the state wants to be part of its future," state Senator Seth Lewis, (R, 24th District) said.
The proposal would not impact any development surrounding a stadium, on which the Bears would still pay property taxes.
