After the state House passed legislation aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois late Wednesday, the ball is now in the Senate’s hands.

So, how will the upper chamber handle the hot-potato megaproject bill that supports a new stadium in Arlington Heights and provides tax breaks to the NFL franchise?

“I think we’re going to get on it right away,” said Democratic state Sen. Mark Walker, a sponsor of the measure. “Whether we’ll resolve it right away, I just don’t know.”

Legislation incentivizing the Bears move from Soldier Field to the old 326-acre Arlington Park racetrack has simmered in Springfield for years. But a last-minute amendment filed by state Rep. Kam Buckner teed up a 78-32 bipartisan vote.

“I think Kam Buckner did a good job responding to the needs of his caucus,” Walker said Thursday.

Senators are still reviewing the 376-page bill. “We’ll probably make changes, but that’s yet to be determined,” Walker noted.

The Senate reconvenes on Tuesday, and the Arlington Heights lawmaker is hopeful some GOP members will cross over.

“There are good reasons for Republicans to vote for whatever bill we come out with. We’ll see,” Walker said.

Republican state Sen. Seth Lewis of Bartlett thinks “there’s bipartisan support for maintaining the flagship pro football team in Illinois. This Republican will come to the table with an open mind.”

However, in its current form, “this bill is not ready to go into effect,” Lewis said. “But we have a starting point.”

Gov. JB Pritzker’s office called the vote “an important step. The governor’s office looks forward to working with the Illinois General Assembly to advance a bill that reflects our shared priorities,” officials said.

Meanwhile, Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia was “truly encouraged by yesterday’s progress and optimistic that we can maintain this momentum as the bill moves through the legislative approval process.

“Now that the bill passed the House, we’re one step closer to working toward a world-class site concept that is a win for our community, the team, and the region as a whole.”

The NFL is meeting next week to discuss stadium options. The team stated Wednesday “additional amendments are necessary” to make the Arlington Heights site work.

Taxing questions

For months, the Bears had sought property tax concessions, which drew pushback from local governments, and financial aid with stadium infrastructure like roads.

Indiana entered the fray in late 2025, enticing the team with up to $1 billion in financing to move to Hammond.

A major element of the Illinois legislation would allow the Bears or other “megaproject” developers to negotiate a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, directly with local taxing bodies.

The amendment would require half of the payments to be steered toward property tax rebates for people living in the megaproject area, as well as statewide property tax relief.

Lewis said he’s concerned there’s a “gray area” in the measure that doesn’t consider the impact of a stadium development on the property tax base.

If the Bears are negotiating separate payments, he wants to ensure the new construction isn’t added to the Base Equalized Assessed Value (tax base) because that would put a huge burden on current taxpayers, Lewis noted.

Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz said the village needs to see hard numbers on infrastructure.

“If this is cost-neutral to the village, you won’t find a bigger supporter than me. But if it’s going to cost the village of Palatine, I’m not interested in jumping back into the bond market to take on a bunch of debt for infrastructure needs,” Schwantz said.

Optimism and pushback

Palatine Township Elementary District 15, Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 issued a joint statement.

“We are encouraged by the progress in Springfield and continue to monitor developments with the legislation,” leaders said.

Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey of Xenia said the measure “needs to go back to the drawing board.

“Pritzker’s solution to keeping the Bears in Illinois is to saddle homeowners and taxpayers in Arlington Heights and surrounding areas with property tax hikes totaling to at least $300 million a year,” Bailey said.

Pritzker’s office countered that “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.”

Republican state Rep. Brad Stephens of Rosement, who voted “yes,” said the state “desperately needs development, job growth, and continued investment to secure a future for generations to come.”

Democratic State Sen. Adriane Johnson of Buffalo Grove also stressed the economic impact. “I think Arlington Heights would be a great location for the Bears to build a stadium. It will create jobs in our community,” she said.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20260423/illinois-state-politics/cue-the-senate-whats-next-for-bill-to-shuffle-bears-to-the-suburbs/