Illinois lawmakers took a major step toward keeping the Chicago Bears from moving to Indiana on Wednesday night.

The Illinois House passed a Bears-backed megaprojects bill by a 78-32 vote a few hours after the Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee advanced legislation by a 15-5 vote. The bill will now head to the Illinois Senate, where it is expected to be debated over the coming weeks.

The bill is what the Bears have said is required for them to build a stadium in Arlington Heights. It will allow the team to negotiate a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement with local governments. The bill will also fund infrastructure improvements in the surrounding area, something the Bears have also asked for in negotiations.

“[The bill allows different] mechanisms that allow organizations like the Bears to remain a part of Illinois’ stream of commerce and to also entice other entities, who may be domiciled in other places, to come here to the state of Illinois,” said state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, who sponsored the bill.

Even after its approval in the House, some questions arose Wednesday night that will need to be answered for the legislation to pass the Senate, which returns to Springfield on April 28. It will also need Gov. JB Pritzker’s approval.

The Bears appreciated Wednesday’s developments after the House passed the bill. But the organization felt there was more work left to be done in the coming month before the legislative session ended.

“We welcome the progress made on the House’s version of the mega project bill,” the statement read. “However, additional amendments are necessary to make the Arlington Heights site feasible for our stadium project. We support Illinois leaders as they determine the forward to making the essential changes to the mega project bill and aligning on infrastructure funding.”

Pritzker’s office also applauded the big step Wednesday night and looked forward to what would come next.

“Governor Pritzker has been clear and consistent for years that the Bears should remain in Illinois, and that any legislation needs to protect taxpayers,” the statement read. “Throughout the past few months, the Governor’s office brought team leadership, local officials and legislative partners to the table to craft a deal around public infrastructure improvements, property tax fairness, and affordability measures. Today is an important step, and the Governor’s office looks forward to working with the Illinois General Assembly to advance a bill that reflects our shared priorities.”

Lawmakers passed the bill that had originally been advanced by the House Revenue and Finance Committee at the end of February. But lawmakers had worked over the past few months to develop an agreement that would get enough votes to pass the legislation.

The biggest change in the amended legislation would allocate 50% of the receipts from the PILOT to property tax relief. Sixty percent of that amount would go to property tax rebates for residential homeowners in those taxing districts where a megaproject will be built. The rest would be deposited into the state’s existing property tax relief fund.

The newer version of the legislation also aimed at helping those who were worried about a higher tax burden on surrounding taxpayers. It will get rid of language that would count megaprojects at full market value while calculating local government borrowing limits and property tax cap formulas.

Other changes were aimed at earning votes from both Chicago and downstate lawmakers.

The bill would expand the tiers of projects aiming to redevelop rail yards, possibly helping win votes in Chicago. A couple of projects, including the One Central transit development near Soldier Field and the 14th Street railyard that billionaire Justin Ishbia reportedly wants for a redevelopment that might feature a future White Sox stadium, have been in the works in recent months.

There will also be another portion that would provide financial assistance toward the expansion of Springfield’s downtown convention center and an adjacent hotel.

Wednesday’s legislation also addressed how the state would help pay for the infrastructure improvements the Bears are looking for at the Arlington Heights location. The bill would create up to 9% surcharges on places within a Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bond district, such as hotels, music venues, and stadiums.

Illinois lawmakers have been under pressure to get a deal done since December, when Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren opened up the team’s stadium search to include Northwest Indiana. Indiana lawmakers passed and signed a bill into law in February to incentivize the Bears to move to Hammond just over the Illinois-Indiana border.

Both the Bears and the NFL have pushed for a quick resolution to the matter as well. Both Bears brass and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently said that they’d like to have a decision during the late spring or early summer.

The bill would help the Bears end a six-year search that started in 2021 when the team agreed to purchase the Arlington Heights property on the site of the former Arlington Park racecourse. There have been twists and turns throughout the process, including pivots back to Chicago before going back to Arlington Heights and now Northwest Indiana.