Bill Cunningham Moves Chicago Bears Stadium Bill Into House Bill 958

The chicago bears stadium push moved Sunday night when the megaprojects bill was filed as an amendment to House Bill 958. State Sen. Bill Cunningham said the proposal could give Illinois a framework for a new stadium while the team weighs Arlington Heights and Hammond.

Bill Cunningham and Napoleon Harris

The bill is 145 pages long and was released around 11 p.m. on Sunday. Cunningham and Sen. Napoleon Harris are sponsoring it, and Cunningham said he is confident the measure has votes to pass in the Senate but is unsure about the House.

“So I think what we've done here with this bill today is establish a framework that would enable the Bears to build a stadium in the State of Illinois. This is the exact same mechanic set up in Northwest Indiana.”

Arlington Heights or Hammond

The legislation is aimed at providing property tax relief to the Bears so they can build a new stadium in suburban Arlington Heights. It would let municipalities create their own stadium authorities, and the planned structure would allow a new stadium to be privately backed but publicly owned.

That pitch sits against a tight legislative clock. The session ends at midnight, although bills can still pass afterward with a higher threshold for approval in the General Assembly.

Indiana’s Northwest Indiana push

Indiana lawmakers passed legislation about three months earlier establishing funding for a potential Bears stadium in Hammond, and the Bears have previously said they would choose between Arlington Heights and Hammond for the site. The new amendment keeps both locations in play while Springfield tries to keep the franchise in Illinois.

A key lawmaker said the megaprojects bill does not have sufficient support to pass the Senate, which leaves the House and the stadium sponsors facing the same problem from a different chamber: the framework exists, but the votes do not line up cleanly yet.