Illinois won't vote on Bears' stadium until fall
Key takeaways
- Illinois lawmakers adjourned the 2026 spring legislative session early Monday morning without passing a bill aimed to keep the Chicago Bears from leaving the state.
- The Bears would pay for the construction of the new stadium, which the franchise has dedicated $2 billion in funding toward, and the land would be publicly owned.
- The measure was introduced as another path toward solving the Bears' desire for property tax certainty.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Illinois lawmakers adjourned the 2026 spring legislative session early Monday morning without passing a bill aimed to keep the Chicago Bears from leaving the state.
At 11 p.m. Sunday, Illinois state Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) introduced new legislation that would allow Cook County cities with more than 70,000 residents (like Arlington Heights and Chicago) to create their own sports stadium authority. The Bears would pay for the construction of the new stadium, which the franchise has dedicated $2 billion in funding toward, and the land would be publicly owned.
The measure was introduced as another path toward solving the Bears' desire for property tax certainty. Under this proposal, the Bears would not be required to pay property taxes after paying to build the stadium but would have to pay property taxes on the rest of the development. Once the stadium is complete, the team would turn it over to a new municipal stadium authority, which would lease the building to the Bears.