By WMBD TV/WGN TV
ORLANDO, Fla. (WGN) — As political gridlock over the Chicago Bears stadium saga continues, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took to the microphone in Orlando on Tuesday to shed light on the latest proceedings between the Bears and the NFL’s stadium committee.
“There was a report on all of the stadium projects. We’re in the midst of what we would call a very significant stadium construction period and/or significant renovations,” Goodell said. “There was a specific update on the Bears with respect to the two sites that they are evaluating that are viable in the Bears’ mind and others, in ours. One in Illinois and one in Indiana.
“That process is going on. The legislature in Illinois is obviously focused on that. They’re getting into the final days of their session. I’ve spoken to the governor recently. I think there’s a focus on trying to get something done there, and then they’ll have two viable sites that the Bears can make their decision from.”
95% of Goodell’s comments are a recycled version of what Chicagoland has heard for months about the Bears’ progress toward finding a new home.
Arlington Heights in the northwest suburbs and Hammond in northwest Indiana are the only viable destinations for a new Bears stadium. Slap it in ChatGPT, tell it to generate a new way of saying just that, and that’ll be the same update we get next week too.
However, there was an interesting nugget from Goodell during the back half of his update on the Bears’ stadium saga.
“I’ve spoken to the governor recently.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has become increasingly visible in recent weeks as the Bears trudge closer to putting a pin in the years-long back-and-forth over where to build the team a new stadium.
On Monday, Pritzker took a jab at Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, effectively saying Chicago’s top politician has made grand demands to keep the Bears in the Windy City, while doing little to nothing to actually make that happen.
“I know that the mayor has no plan. He has come up with no plan at all about how the Bears would end up [staying] in the City of Chicago,” Pritzker said. “I’d love them to be in the city, but we are three years in now, and he still has no plan … This is kind of typical. The mayor has shown up every spring at the end of session to pronounce what he would like to see happen.
“And as you know, the budget gets put together starting in November. To show up in May and have a bunch of demands seems like late in the game, and it’s unfortunate that’s happened most years.”
A spokesperson for the Office of the Mayor of Chicago shared the following statement with WGN-TV in response to Pritzker’s comments.
“For the past two years, the City has continued to advocate for a publicly owned stadium and has not supported the advancement of a privately owned stadium. The City’s proposal remains the only plan centered on public ownership alongside a funding mechanism that does not burden property taxpayers while keeping the Bears in Chicago.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the legislature, the State, and all stakeholders to advance a solution that centers the needs of working Illinoisans while preserving the Bears’ future in Chicago.” – Spokesperson for the Office of the Mayor of Chicago
House Bill 910 (HB 910), otherwise known as the PILOT or megaprojects bill, is legislation the Bears have repeatedly said they need for property tax assurances in the northwest suburbs.
The first time Pritzker shared his thoughts on HB 910 was a little more than three weeks ago, on Friday, April 24, when the governor of Illinois said concerns were raised on a proposed 9% amusement tax before the bill was passed in the Illinois House of Representatives.
“They had said at the outset that an amusement tax is something that really won’t work, and that they really don’t want to see happen on top of all the other taxes that are imposed here,” Pritzker said at the time. “What we want is more jobs. What we want is economic growth, and we need to be competitive, truthfully.
“And that’s true of companies across the country. They’re looking where they’re going to move to.”
When the governor was asked if he and the state are feeling the pressure from other interested states, he replied, “Yeah, we’re always competing with other states for businesses. And this is just another example of that.”
HB 910 was passed in the Illinois House on April 22 and currently sits in committee during the Illinois Senate’s legislative session, which ends on May 31. The bill, if passed, would give the Bears property tax certainty with a 40-year freeze on the maximum amount they would pay annually, and set in place an additional special payment negotiated with the local government. Half of that special payment would be set aside for homeowner property tax relief, money split between a local and state fund.
“Governor Pritzker has been clear and consistent for years that the Bears should remain in Illinois, and that any legislation needs to protect taxpayers,” a statement from Pritzker’s office read after HB 910 advanced to the Senate. “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 improvement, 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.”
What’s Next?
The Bears have a self-imposed deadline to decide where they are moving to by the end of May, meaning if that is to come to fruition, HB 910 needs to be passed in the Illinois Senate by the end of the current legislative session. As mentioned above, that session runs until May 31.
Pritzker said on Monday that he believes the Illinois Senate will pass a version of the megaprojects bill by the May 31 deadline.
If passed, HB 910 would then advance to Pritzker’s desk for a signature to become an official state law.
WMBD TV/WGN TV first reported this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
