SPRINGFIELD \u2013 State Sen. Bill Cunningham stepped out of a two-hour private Democratic caucus meeting and delivered a bombshell Saturday night: A PILOT bill aimed at keeping the Bears in Illinois is off the table and the city of Chicago is back in the mix.<\/p>\n
Cunningham, a top negotiator on legislation aimed at giving the Chicago Bears tax certainty so they could move to suburban Arlington Heights, acknowledged the proposal \u201cdoes not have the support to pass\u201d the Illinois Senate. Chicago-based lawmakers want to \u201cput the city on an equal plane\u201d to \u201ccompete\u201d for a stadium project.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say that the PILOT megaproject structure is one we\u2019re having difficulty with and we\u2019re trying to figure out if there\u2019s another way to make sure the Bears build a stadium in Illinois without using that model,\u201d Cunningham said.<\/p>\n
He also pushed back on the accepted narrative that the Bears had ruled out the city and had little dialogue with its officials \u2014 statements the Bears themselves have made within the last few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would point out, though, that it\u2019s been established that the Bears have met repeatedly with the City of Chicago over the last several months to talk about this,\u201d he said in response to a reporter\u2019s question about a Chicago stadium being off the table. \u201cSo although they publicly said that, there have been talks between the City and the Bears.\u201d<\/p>\n
They\u2019re debating a plan in which \u201cthe city, Arlington Heights, and maybe other municipalities would be on equal footing to compete for the stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was previously thought that if Illinois lawmakers don\u2019t approve a mechanism to assist the team\u2019s desired move to a 326-acre site they own in Arlington Heights, the \u201cpride and joy of Illinois\u201d would bolt for a site in Hammond, Indiana. Hoosier lawmakers have promised more than $1 billion in public subsidies for a Bears project.<\/p>\n
Now, the calculus seems to have changed.<\/p>\n
Cunningham said they hope to have a bill filed on Sunday ironing out the fine points. It\u2019s the final scheduled day of lawmakers\u2019 spring legislative session, but, Cunningham said, \u201cI don\u2019t know that it\u2019s a deadline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawmakers could theoretically work into the summer if the team isn\u2019t itching to skip the state line. The May 31 deadline only ups the voting requirement for a bill to take effect before June 1 of next year. With the new stadium a long-term play, working into June or later wouldn\u2019t greatly change the political equation.<\/p>\n
Bears CEO Kevin Warren has said the team plans to decide by late spring or early summer about where it will play in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would like to get something completed before we leave town tomorrow night,\u201d Cunningham said.<\/p>\n
A source close to negotiations said the new legislation will feature a similar incentive offering the Bears \u201ctax certainty\u201d and that it would also include funding for infrastructure surrounding a stadium development. The source said Pritzker and Deputy Gov. Andy Manar offered new ideas in a meeting earlier Saturday with Cunningham and Rep. Kam Buckner, the Chicago Democrats leading negotiations in the legislature.<\/p>\n
The team has not sought public funds for stadium construction in Illinois but has pushed for a mechanism that would allow them to negotiate and lock in a lower property tax payment with local governing bodies for up to 40 years.<\/p>\n
But the legislation has run into numerous roadblocks in multiple directions, including progressive lawmakers concerned about giving tax breaks to wealthy sports team owners; legislators worried about the impact the tool would have on local tax revenue; and Chicago legislators wary of incentivizing the team\u2019s exit from the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom day one, there has always been a Chicago problem with the Bears proposal,\u201d Cunningham acknowledged.<\/p>\n
To secure the votes it needed to pass the House last month, the megaprojects bill was loaded with sweeteners for Chicago and downstate economic development. There\u2019s also been talk of appropriating state capital funds to renovate Soldier Field.<\/p>\n
But the team\u2019s reengagement \u2014 or at least the appearance of it \u2014 along with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson\u2019s vocal opposition to the legislation appears to have swayed enough Chicago legislators to pull off the bill.<\/p>\n
The megaprojects bill had been in a holding pattern for weeks as negotiators worked to fine tune a proposal that could satisfy enough legislators. To this point, they haven\u2019t been successful. But now their biggest enemy may be the clock.<\/p>\n
Senate Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, earlier in the day said that a scaled-back bill focusing on the Bears is \u201cthe only option at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is too late in the session to do a statewide megaprojects bill where you don\u2019t know what might be going in there,\u201d Curran said.<\/p>\n
Hours later, Cunningham confirmed the shift in strategy: \u201cWe\u2019re primarily focused on the Bears.\u201d<\/p>\n