A new push has been launched to get a Chicago Bears stadium deal approved in Springfield, in an effort to keep the Bears in Illinois.
Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) told the Chicago Sun-Times that he is finding a way to bake in some property tax relief for homeowners across the state in an amendment to a “megaprojects bill,” which would give the team tax certainty if they build a new stadium in Arlington Heights.
The amendment is meant to make the proposal more appealing for Republican lawmakers outside the city.
Buckner told the paper he plans to brief House Democrats on the measure Tuesday, and he also wants to hold a committee hearing and bring the proposal to the floor this week.
The “megaprojects” legislation that Buckner is seeking to amend would allow the developer of any project costing at least $500 million to negotiate a freeze on its property tax assessment. But the bill has gotten some pushback in Springfield.
The measure moved out of an Illinois House committee in February, but has not yet received a full floor vote.
The Bears bought the old Arlington Heights racetrack property years ago with plans to build a new domed stadium there. Gov. JB Pritzker and other state lawmakers have been vocal about not providing the NFL team with public funds and tax breaks to fund the stadium.
There have been dueling proposals ever since, with some fighting to keep the Bears in Chicago proper, others fighting to help the stadium get built in Arlington Heights, and recently Northwest Indiana jumping into the fray, proposing sites for a new Bears stadium in Gary and Hammond.
Indiana state legislators recently passed their own bill to create a stadium authority to fund a new stadium in Hammond for the Bears using taxpayer dollars.
contributed to this report.