The Springfield Hail Mary Falls Short
Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), the Senate sponsor of Bears stadium legislation, is surrounded by reporters at the Statehouse Sunday. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
Like a last second Hail Mary pass floating through the air giving momentary hope of an unlikely victory, Democrats seemed poised for a while early Monday morning to scrap, debate, write, and pass a new bill aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois in around 30 hours.
While the bill cleared the Senate Monday morning, the House adjourned without calling the bill for a vote, leaving the team’s future in question.
Late Saturday night, Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) told reporters after a two-plus hour caucus meeting the Senate Democrats couldn’t pass the House version of the Bears/megaprojects bill or a stripped down Bears-only property tax break before the legislature was scheduled to adjourn by late Sunday night.
Cunningham said members of the caucus opposed the property tax break for the Bears while Chicago members of the caucus wanted an opportunity for the city to “compete” to keep the Bears, even though the team had already said Chicago was out of the running for a new stadium.
It was back to the drawing board for lawmakers to try to keep the Bears from taking a deal offered by lawmakers in Indiana.
After much of the day was filled with speculation, negotiation, questions, and frustration, a new bill emerged around 11pm Sunday night.
It allows both Arlington Heights and the city of Chicago to create municipally-controlled stadium authority that would own the stadium build privately by the team and would exempt the team from paying property taxes entirely.
Cunningham told reporters earlier in the evening the bill would give the Bears what they want.
“It would let them build their own stadium with private finances. They can do that,” Cunningham said. “They could also enter into an agreement with the municipality to make the stadium publicly owned. As we know, publicly owned buildings do not pay property taxes. That’s what the Bears have asked for. They said they would build a stadium and they just wanted property tax certainty. This gives them property tax certainty.
The bill passed the Senate 37-17. One Republican, Sen. Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) voted for the bill. One Democrat, Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) voted against it. Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago) pledged to vote against the bill, but did not take a final vote.
Why didn’t the House take the bill up? Sources say it was never discussed in caucus and leaders didn’t believe it was ready.
House Speaker Chris Welch told Ben Szalinski of Capitol News Illinois shortly after adjournment Monday that it was the right decision not to call the bill for a vote.
“Our caucus is used to processes. Our caucus is used to taking our time and doing it right,” Welch said. “We’ll be alright. We’ll get it done.”
Asked when the House may take up the issue, Welch responded “sooner than later.”
It isn’t clear yet what the next move may be for the Bears. The team issued a statement early Monday morning saying they will continue to decide between Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana.
“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,” the team shared.
