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Inner Workings of Bears Stadium Bill Reveal Difficulty With Passage

A deadline approaches on Friday for the Arlington Heights stadium bill to move to the Senate but Chicago politicians continue to block the path to success.
Gene Chamberlain|
Will the Bears' billboard at the Arlington Park property be replaced by construction on a stadium soon?
Will the Bears' billboard at the Arlington Park property be replaced by construction on a stadium soon? | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Gene Chamberlain

The wheels continue to turn in Springfield at too slow of a rate for the Bears to get the tax certainty and infrastructure paid for with their Arlington Heights stadium project.

It needs to change quickly, or the Bears will wind up out of state in a new domed stadium in Hammond, Ind. The cutoff point appears now to be the end of this week, even though the legislative session runs until the end of May. That's because the deadline for the House to schedule bills to be sent to the Senate is this Friday.

The Daily Herald's Christopher Placek provided a look inside the mechanics of Illinois' attempt to keep from becoming a state that loses an NFL team. The so-called Megaproject bill hasn't been brought to a vote by the state's House of Representatives and this is needed for the stadium to happen.

As usual, it's entirely because Chicago politicians cling to a false notion they can keep the Bears for themselves, even though the team owns the property in Arlington Heights and this is the target for their own stadium.

Placek reports there are not enough votes to meet a 60-vote total that the House Speaker says are needed before a vote can be called on the bill, which has already passed through committee. It is Chicago's state reps working hand in hand with Mayor Brandon Johnson to prevent enough votes from being gathered so the vote can be called.

Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens, who is a state rep and House minority leader, had initially been in favor of the Bears staying in Chicago. Placek reports he has now accepted the reality that this isn't in the cards and he wants to preserve the team or this state. Stephens told Placek he was meeting Tuesday with Gov. J.B. Pritzker's staff and others to discuss moving the legislation to a vote. It would then need to be passed by the Senate.

The city's latest folly is rehashing a plan to retain the Bears by building a new stadium at the site of the old Michael Reese Hospital along the lakefront, well south of Soldier Field.

The Bears rejected this site earlier, calling it too small. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell toured it and labeled it too small, as well.

"They (the Bears) don't want to go where he (Johnson) wants them to go," Stephens told Placek. "That's their prerogative."

After all, the team is owned by the McCaskeys and not Chicago.

Placek believes the only way it will get passed is through the efforts of suburban Democrats and also Republicans like Stephens, who is point person for the party on this plan. Bargaining has taken place.

Support for the stadium deal last week was being linked with discussions about general property tax reform. A general plan that future property tax increase referendums should appear only on November general election ballots to halt back-door, off-year referendums was discussed. It was tied to support for the stadium bill. Nothing transpired on this.

The Bears said at the start of this month that they will be making a decision between the Illinois and Indiana sites late this spring or in the summer. According to Brad Biggs of the Tribune, Bears ownership will meet virtually with the league's stadium committee April 27 to provide an update on the project's status.

Although the deadline for the legislation to be presented to the Senate is Friday, Placek notes they are able to extend that through a vote.

Don't count on it.

If they can't even get the 60 votes together to get the bill presented, then how can they even expect to get the deadline extended for the vote?

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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