New legislation could bench Bears’ plans for Arlington Heights stadium

The Bears’ drive for legislative favor that would clear their path to a suburban relocation has gotten the proverbial block at the kickoff of the Illinois General Assembly’s fall veto session.

In a bid to prevent the team from leaving his Chicago lakefront district, state Rep. Kam Buckner filed a bill in Springfield that would put greater controls on professional sports stadium subsidy deals and require greater transparency around the process.

The Stadium Transparency and Responsible Spending Act doesn’t mention the NFL franchise by name, but in effect would slow or outright stop the club’s pursuit of a new $5 billion stadium-anchored mixed-use district on its 326-acre property in Arlington Heights.

The Bears have been lobbying for legislation of their own that would give them a long-term property tax break on the sprawling site, in addition to a request for $855 million for infrastructure costs.

“Sending tens of millions of dollars to major sports teams in the hopes of a financial return that is far from guaranteed has to come with guardrails,” said Buckner, a Chicago Democrat whose 26th District includes Soldier Field. “We can’t take that risk and expect working people to bear the economic burden if it doesn’t pay off. That’s unacceptable.”

Among the guardrails detailed in Buckner’s bill filed Tuesday:

• Full online disclosure at least 30 days before approval of any agreement between the state or a local government and a professional sports franchise that grants subsidies, tax abatements or financial incentives for the construction, renovation or operation of a stadium;

• An independent, franchise-funded cost-benefit analysis by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability showing the 20-year fiscal impact of such an agreement, including the effect on tax revenues, infrastructure costs and local service demands;

• Two public hearings in the community where officials from school districts, libraries and public safety agencies would be invited to testify about revenue impacts;

• Annual public reports on the number of jobs created, tax revenue generated, and community benefits delivered;

• If the agreement reduces property tax revenues through abatements or assessment freezes, the team must reimburse public schools, libraries, fire, police, or emergency services for any loss of funding;

• If the franchise moves or fails to meet community or economic commitments in the agreement, it must repay all subsidies in full, with interest.

Those last provisions would seem to complicate Bears-backed megaproject legislation, which would allow the team to negotiate with local taxing authorities including school districts over the amount of taxes that should be paid on the old Arlington Park racetrack site for up to 40 years.

A Bears spokesman Wednesday reiterated a statement released two weeks ago that urges state leaders to pass the megaproject bill, “which creates a fair, predictable framework for property taxes that applies to any large-scale investment in Illinois.”

“With this certainty, we can move forward ensuring this once-in-a-generation project becomes a reality and delivers its full potential for fans and communities across the state,” according to the Bears statement.

But the Bears bill already faced long odds of passage during the six-day veto session that started Tuesday, when a three-fifths majority is required for approval of any legislation. All indications are lawmakers will punt the issue until the new year.

Senate President Don Harmon told Capitol News Illinois the Bears should consider the veto session a “bye week.”

Gov. JB Pritzker, who has said he prefers the Bears remain within city limits, has expressed support for the megaproject concept, but in September declared it a “prerequisite” for the Bears to first pay off some $500 million still owed for the 2003 Soldier Field renovations.

In a frequently asked questions section of a new Arlington Park stadium website, the Bears say they aren’t responsible for the outstanding debt held by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which issued bonds backed by a 2% Chicago hotel tax to pay for the Soldier Field work.

Team officials said they contributed $200 million — as primary tenant of the Chicago Park District-owned stadium — but they “have no control or say in how ISFA’s debt is structured, managed or paid.”

At a press conference Wednesday during an appearance in Minooka, Pritzker was asked if he would support Buckner’s bill.

“I haven’t read all of the bill. I understand that there are Chicago legislators that don’t want the Bears to move to another location. I would like them not to move either. But I will say just broadly that it’s a private business. If they want to move, they can.

“But the state can put restrictions on what private businesses can get from the state,” he added. “The state doesn’t have to do anything for a private business, although we do incentivize businesses that are coming to Illinois or growing in Illinois. So that’s all got to be taken up with the legislature during veto session and perhaps going into the next session.”