The never-ending drama surrounding Illinois's efforts to keep the Chicago Bears in the state to build their $5 billion stadium has hit a positive yet concerning roadblock.
Illinois changed the bill so that the stadium could be publicly owned by municipalities in Cook County, which would help the Bears, as they wouldn't have to pay property tax. The bill was filed as an amendment to House Bill 958, as the Illinois Senate voted 37-17 in favor of the bill as it went to the House, but the problem is the House did not vote on the bill before adjourning, meaning unless a special session is called in the summer, they will not be back together until November. Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Chris Welch shared a quick comment on the situation.
“There's a lot of work still ahead of us," Welch said via Capitol News Illinois reporter Brenden Moore. "We'll continue discussions on a number of issues, including our approach to the Bears stadium question, this summer.”
Bears react after new stadium bill failed to pass
Shortly after the bill did not receive a vote, the Bears commented on what happened.
"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. We will provide an update when we have a decision to share."
Statement from the Bears: "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. We will provide an update when we have a decision to share." https://t.co/v1d1S8Baam
— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) June 1, 2026
After all the bickering and fighting over the last few years, it appears as though the Bears have the bill they wanted from Illinois, but the state is still not moving fast enough to get it done. Most likely, a special session will be called at some point to vote on the bill. It'll only be a matter of when it happens and whether they can get it done before the Bears make a decision.
The Bears still have to decide whether the new stadium will be in Arlington Heights, Illinois, or Hammond, Indiana. Chicago is completely out of the picture and not expected to be in the running.
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This drama will now run through the summer as the end is near, but if Illinois doesn't move quickly enough, Indiana might snatch the Bears away.
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