Gov. J.B. Pritzker reaffirmed his resistance to state-funded subsidies for a new Chicago Bears stadium yet stopped short of saying he would veto legislation that could clear the way for the team’s proposed move to Arlington Heights.
Pritzker said legislation allowing a Payment in Lieu Of Taxes arrangement is “something we’re still considering,” emphasizing potential broader benefits, Crain’s reported.
The PILOT bill allows companies to negotiate an annual payment in lieu of their regular property tax rate. Pritzker also expressed an openness to a separate state program that allows companies to reap the benefits of expanded state sales tax revenue that a project generates.
“We’re going to evaluate what the costs are for the people of Illinois to do this, the benefits that come from attracting businesses as a result of providing that ability to use those tax dollars,” he said.
The comments came ahead of the legislature’s fall veto session. In the Spring regular season, similar efforts fizzled out before the legislature adjourned.
Pritzker reiterated that “taxpayers shouldn’t be propping up what now is an $8.5 billion-valued business.”
Without the tax relief framework, team officials say they “are not able to proceed forward” with plans for a new stadium.
The Bears originally proposed building a lakefront stadium in Chicago but because the plans required $900 million in direct subsidies from the state and $1.5 billion in public infrastructure spending, it failed to gain any political support.
The team has since pivoted to planning a $5 billion mixed-use development at the former Arlington International Racecourse site, which the organization bought for $197 million in 2023.
Even with Pritzker’s openness to the PILOT bill and similar legislative proposals, key members of the legislature’s influential Chicago delegation are committed to voting against the measures.
“Trump is cutting Medicaid and housing. CPS has a $1 billion-dollar hole. CTA, Metra, Pace have a $1.5 billion hole. We’ve got energy legislation and cannabis legislation that got left on third base. Having one of the most profitable sports franchises in the world begging for some action on something at the last minute is not a priority of the General Assembly,” state Rep. Kam Buckner, a Democrat from Chicago, said in an interview with Crain‘s last week.