Indiana’s chances of gaining a new NFL franchise are perhaps looking a little brighter.
A last minute attempt by Illinois Senators to keep the Chicago Bears in their namesake city failed to pass during the 11th hour of a legislative session early June 1.
Lawmakers in the Prairie State scrambled late into the night before to create an incentive package that would allow Arlington Heights or Chicago to form public-private partnerships, writes the Chicago Tribune, a move to entice the storied NFL franchise to remain in Illinois.
The deal would have allowed municipalities with populations of at least 70,000 people to build a new stadium without paying property taxes on the facility.
But the last-ditch bill proposed by Illinois senators failed to gain enough traction by their House colleagues, who didn’t take up the measure for a vote, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The clock on the legislative session eventually ran out, leaving the fate of a new stadium for the Chicago Bears in limbo. The team released a statement hours later, according to NBC Chicago.
“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.”
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John Tufts covers trending and breaking news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at John.Tufts@IndyStar.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Illinois lawmakers fumble attempt to keep Chicago Bears
Reporting by John Tufts, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
