Arlington Heights issued a statement Monday hours after lawmakers ended their spring session with no decision on a stadium bill for the Bears, calling the lack of decision a “fumble.”
“The Village of Arlington Heights is disappointed that Springfield did not pass any legislation to facilitate the proposed redevelopment of Arlington Park this session. While this outcome is not what many had hoped for, the Arlington Park property remains one of the largest and most important redevelopment opportunities with long-term potential for our community, the region, and the entire State of Illinois,” the village said in a statement.
At around 4 a.m. Monday, the Illinois Senate voted 37-17 to approve a modified bill that would enable certain Cook County municipalities to create local stadium authorities. The House, however, did not take up a vote on the bill and the legislative session adjourned.
Mayor Jim Tinaglia said it was a “fumble for the state of Illinois.”
“Although we recognize that these discussions are complex and involve many stakeholders, this is clearly a fumble for the State of Illinois. My commitment to the residents and businesses of Arlington Heights is unwavering, and we will continue to represent the interests of our community as future opportunities and next steps are considered,” he said. “The Village remains committed to thoughtful planning, community engagement, and responsible evaluation and discussions of future redevelopment proposals with the Chicago Bears and
stakeholders related to the Arlington Park property.”
In their statement Monday, the Bears said they are still considering Arlington Heights for their future stadium.
“We will finalize our evaluation of both Arlington Heights and Hammond, and remain on the late spring/early summer timeline that we have previously communicated,” the statement said. “We will provide an update when we have a decision to share.”
The Bears had long said such changes were an absolute must to construct a stadium in Arlington Heights, but many lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle raised significant concerns.
The negotiations come as Indiana offers the Bears up to $1 billion in incentives to relocate to a site in Hammond.
A special session could still be called in Illinois, but it was not immediately clear if or when that could happen.
“There’s a lot of work still ahead of us,” House Speaker Emmanuel “Chris” Welch said. “We’ll continue discussions on a number of issues, including our approach to the Bears stadium question, this summer.”
But the bar for finalizing an agreement for the Bears is now higher.
That’s because after the spring session the threshold for bill passage rises from a simple majority to a three-fifths majority under the Illinois Constitution. That would require 71 votes for a bill to pass in the House and 36 in the Senate.
Hours after the midnight deadline passed, the FY2027 Illinois budget now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk.
Gov. JB Pritzker’s office said it needs to review the changes made in the new bill before a decision would be made.
“Governor Pritzker is a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars who has always wanted the Bears to remain in Illinois and been open to a sensible deal, so the Governor’s Office needs to carefully review this new bill that was recently made public overnight,” it said.
The House sponsor of the original “megaprojects” bill said he’s open to the changes that passed in the Senate, while Illinois Sen. Bill Cunningham, the senate sponsor, said the model has proven to work.
“While we had hoped to get this done before adjournment, it became clear when HB958 was filed in the early morning hours that the votes simply weren’t there. That’s nobody’s fault. It’s just the reality of trying to move something of this size, complexity, and consequence in the final hours of session,” Rep. Kam Buckner wrote on social media Monday morning. “The truth is that proposals of this magnitude take time. Members need time to review details, ask questions, hear from stakeholders, and understand the long-term implications of what they’re being asked to support. This proposal came together late in the process, and many members simply did not have enough time to get comfortable with it. Even though the last 24 hours felt incredibly urgent, as they always do during the controlled chaos of the final days of session, it’s important to remember that while HB 910, which the House approved five weeks ago, carried an immediate effective date. The proposal that passed this morning does not. Its effective date is January of 2027. That’s an acknowledgment that there is still time to continue the work.”
While Arlington Heights is still in the running for the stadium project, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also continued to push for Chicago to stay in the game.
“Last night, the Illinois General Assembly decided to forgo a vote on HB 958, legislation that would have established a framework for the creation of municipal stadium finance authorities to build publicly owned sports stadiums in Cook County,” Johnson said. “I appreciate the bill’s proponents and their acknowledgment of the value of public stadium ownership and their desire to create a pathway for a new Chicago stadium. While questions remained about the legislation’s design, legislators ultimately reached the same conclusion the City reached in 2024: the strongest proposal for a new stadium centers public ownership, the use of a sports authority and a commitment to public infrastructure.”
He noted “Chicago continues to offer the strongest opportunity to retain the Bears.”
At the same time, however, Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott told NBC Chicago the “Illinois General assembly fumbled, and I don’t think the Bears were bluffing about their deadline to make a decision in the next month or so.”
“Right now, there’s only one offer on the table, and that offer is from the state of Indiana,” he said.
Buckner said the legislative “pathway” is still open and both the House and the Senate have bills related to the stadium available for consideration.
“The vehicles are there, and the conversations are ongoing. I remain optimistic,” he said. “We all share the same goal: finding a solution that works for the Bears, works for taxpayers, and earns the confidence of the General Assembly. This morning was the end of session. It was not the end of the conversation.”
As a midnight deadline neared, NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern explained how the major decision affects those in power—and what’s at stake if the Bears leave Illinois.
