Illinois lawmakers have taken a big step forward in passing legislation to help keep the Chicago Bears in the Land of Lincoln.
House Bill 910 (HB910) — the so-called megaprojects bill that the Bears have requested to deliver them property tax certainties in northwest suburban Arlington Heights — was passed Wednesday night by the Illinois House of Representatives by a vote of 78 (yes) to 32 (no).
The bill now advances to the Illinois Senate. If it passes there, it would then just need a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker to become law.
Ultimately, the Bears will have to decide if they want to build a new stadium at Arlington Park, the 326-acre site formerly home to Arlington International Racecourse that the Bears purchased in February 2023 for $197.2 million, or move over the border to a site near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana.
Indiana lawmakers have already passed legislation, Senate Enrolled Act 27, to lure the Bears across state lines. That has created a sense of urgency among Illinois lawmakers to get the megaprojects bill passed.
Meanwhile, the NFL’s stadium committee is set to meet with Bears leadership next week to discuss the franchise’s search for a new home.
The Bears have said they want to make a decision sometime late this spring or early this summer.
Wednesday was day two of the legislative session for Illinois House Democrats to run HB910 through the House. On Tuesday, Democrats called for a caucus meeting at the State Capitol, where the group gathered behind closed doors and debated for hours over what the final piece of Bears stadium legislation would look like.
