Illinois lawmakers are exploring a potential plan to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois by providing funding for a new stadium without directly building it. According to a state capital projects plan, up to $895 million could be allocated for various improvements, including moving water mains and enhancing local infrastructure, around the proposed site of the new stadium. However, it's unclear how much of this money would actually go towards the stadium itself.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has emphasized that the funding would aim to enhance the surrounding area, rather than just build a stadium. This approach is intended to avoid appearing as taxpayer-funded assistance for the billionaire-owned team. Politicians are aware that if they can demonstrate some perceived benefits for the community without directly supporting the team's interests, it might increase support for their efforts.
Despite this, several key meetings have been held between Illinois lawmakers and local government officials with the Bears' ownership to discuss potential plans. It's uncertain whether these talks will lead to concrete action or just more motions without actual movement. In contrast, an Indiana Senate committee has already unanimously approved a bill to attract the Bears by allowing the team to pay off stadium construction costs through local excise taxes and other revenue streams.
One of the concerns is that Indiana might be able to outmaneuver Illinois in this competition for the team's allegiance due to its more favorable legislative calendar. Additionally, there are fears that if an agreement is reached with the Bears, it could lead to increased sales taxes or even new levies on local governments and taxpayers.
The situation remains fluid, as Illinois lawmakers have traditionally been hesitant to take decisive action before major elections like the March primary. Meanwhile, Indiana Governor's Office is involved in a public dispute over congressional boundary redistricting, which may further complicate efforts to attract the Bears.
Lastly, Illinois' House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch has posted photos of himself attending events with the Bears ownership, signaling that some local leaders are now more open to exploring plans for keeping the team within the state.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has emphasized that the funding would aim to enhance the surrounding area, rather than just build a stadium. This approach is intended to avoid appearing as taxpayer-funded assistance for the billionaire-owned team. Politicians are aware that if they can demonstrate some perceived benefits for the community without directly supporting the team's interests, it might increase support for their efforts.
Despite this, several key meetings have been held between Illinois lawmakers and local government officials with the Bears' ownership to discuss potential plans. It's uncertain whether these talks will lead to concrete action or just more motions without actual movement. In contrast, an Indiana Senate committee has already unanimously approved a bill to attract the Bears by allowing the team to pay off stadium construction costs through local excise taxes and other revenue streams.
One of the concerns is that Indiana might be able to outmaneuver Illinois in this competition for the team's allegiance due to its more favorable legislative calendar. Additionally, there are fears that if an agreement is reached with the Bears, it could lead to increased sales taxes or even new levies on local governments and taxpayers.
The situation remains fluid, as Illinois lawmakers have traditionally been hesitant to take decisive action before major elections like the March primary. Meanwhile, Indiana Governor's Office is involved in a public dispute over congressional boundary redistricting, which may further complicate efforts to attract the Bears.
Lastly, Illinois' House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch has posted photos of himself attending events with the Bears ownership, signaling that some local leaders are now more open to exploring plans for keeping the team within the state.
... like, aren't we supposed to be talking about the new stadium or something? And what's up with all these meetings and bills and stuff? It feels like it's all just a big game of cat and mouse between the Bears' owners and Illinois lawmakers 
. I mean, I get that the governor wants to avoid appearing to just give taxpayer money to the team, but is this really going to work out in the end?
. I guess we'll have to wait and see how things play out, but for now, it feels like there are more questions than answers 
.
. Maybe he's trying to show that Illinois is all in on this? But at the same time, I'm still not convinced that anything will actually get done 
...
And what's with the whole "enhancing the surrounding area" thing? Sounds like code for "we'll throw some money at the local infrastructure, but not actually fix anything" 
. And don't even get me started on this Indiana stuff... I guess they're trying to out-Indiana Illinois or something? 
They're trying to find ways to keep the team in-state without giving in too much, while also not appearing to just throw money at them 
. Meanwhile, Indiana's doing their own thing over there, using local taxes to sweeten the deal 
. One thing's for sure, it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out - will Illinois come out on top or get left in the dust? 
so there's this thing going on in illinois where they wanna keep the chicago bears in the state but instead of building a new stadium they just wanna do upgrades around the site 
plus can u believe jeb pritzker is all about "enhancing the community" 
sounds kinda fishy to me 
but idk what's going on in illinois' politics right now lol
I get why some ppl are worried about increased taxes, but maybe we should focus on finding a way to make it work for everyone? 
