CHICAGO — As Illinois and Indiana ramp up efforts to convince the Chicago Bears to either stay here or move next door, another state has entered the pursuit. Earlier this week, state lawmakers in Iowa introduced a bill aimed at convincing the NFL franchise to build a new stadium in the “The Hawkeye State.”
The Des Moines Register is reporting that a group of Iowa GOP senators are hoping Senate File 2252would expand one of the state’s biggest economic programs with enough incentieves for the Bears to move west. The proposed bill was introduced Tuesday.
According to the media outlet, Iowa’s MEGA program is intended for businesses in the state specializing in fields like advanced manufacturing, biosciences or research and development, and that also invest at least $1 billion in Iowa, to receive economic development incentives if they want to get involved in pursuing the Bears.
In addition, the bill would expand the program to also incentivize construction of a new stadium, which would need to be approved by the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Of the four major American sports, the last time Iowa had a professional team was the Waterloo Hawks, who played in the National Basketball Association during the 1949-1950 season
“There are a lot of ongoing conversations with the Bears, and indeed, frankly, progress has been made,” Pritzker said Monday following a news conference regarding the Sales Tax and Revenue bond program in Belleville. “I’m pleased about that, but I’m going to let the Bears talk about what it is that they want to get done, and how they want to get it done.”
People familiar with discussions over moving the team to Arlington Heights and the vacant former Arlington International Racecourse site, have indicated a deal is “close.” CBS News Chicago, along with other media outlets, is reporting state lawmakers, village leaders, Pritzker and the Bears have been meeting multiple times a week to talk about building a new stadium in the northwest suburbs since December.