Illinois House Unveils New Version of Bears Megaprojects Bill With Property Tax Relief Provisions

The Illinois House is moving forward with amended language for a megaprojects bill that would allow the Chicago Bears to negotiate property tax payments while providing property tax relief to local homeowners.

House Democrats discussed the latest bill language behind closed doors Tuesday with top negotiators presenting a plan to the supermajority caucus far more expansive than the version that passed out of a House committee in late February.

State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, the lead House negotiator on the megaprojects bill, said the caucus was positive about the changes. Buckner plans to file the amendment language with the intention of it being heard in committee on Wednesday. If it passes there, the full House could vote on the measure this week.

The bill still must be approved by the Illinois Senate, which returns to Springfield on April 28, and the changes need the blessing of Gov. JB Pritzker. Pritzker's office said they're currently reviewing the draft amendment and don't have further comment at this time.

Key changes to the original bill include a provision that 50% of the receipts from the payment in lieu of taxes would go towards property tax relief. Of that, 60% would go to property tax rebates for residential homeowners in taxing districts with a megaproject and 40% would be deposited into the state's existing property tax relief fund.

Buckner said the thought process behind this is that if the state is giving property tax certainty and relief to developers, then it needs to be able to do the same thing for the folks who pay property taxes, homeowners.

The new bill also strikes language that would count megaprojects at full market value while calculating local government borrowing limits and property tax cap formulas. Some lawmakers worried that provision would have shifted the tax burden onto surrounding residential and commercial property owners.

There's also a new provision that explicitly prohibits use of the PILOT tool for data centers, which have been identified as a driver of rising energy costs and demand.

The bill also ends the megaproject incentive after five years, a so-called sunset provision that allows lawmakers to revisit the effectiveness of the tool. Municipalities with PILOT agreements in place would also have to provide impact reports to the Illinois General Assembly every five years.

The legislation would also expand the tiers of projects aiming to redevelop rail yards. Potential projects that could be eligible for this incentive include the One Central development near Soldier Field and Amtrak's 14th Street rail yard in Chicago, which is being eyed by billionaire Justin Ishbia for a redevelopment that could include a future White Sox ballpark.

Another provision would provide a mechanism to help finance the expansion of Springfield's downtown convention center and an adjacent hotel.

Some of the measures are meant to win over enough votes among supermajority House Democrats. House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, D-Hillside, has an unofficial rule that bills need at least 60 Democrats to be called for a vote on the floor.

State Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said the latest version is a step in the right direction. Guzzardi thought Leader Buckner presented a forthcoming amendment that addresses a lot of the concerns that he and others brought up the last time this was around.

The megaprojects bill languished on the backburner in Springfield until earlier this year, when Indiana lawmakers approved a package aimed at luring the Bears over the state line to a site in Hammond.

Pritzker has pushed the megaprojects concept as a mechanism for not only keeping the Bears, but attracting other economic development to the state.

This comes more than three years after the Bears purchased the 326-acre site that formerly housed Arlington Park racetrack. The team set its sights on leaving Soldier Field and building a new stadium and surrounding retail and entertainment district at the massive suburban site. But team officials said it could only be done with assistance from lawmakers in Springfield.

Taxpayers still owe nearly $500 million in bonds for early 2000s renovations at Soldier Field, and Chicago lawmakers have been wary of approving a measure incentivizing the team's departure.

Source URLs:

• https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/illinois-house-unveils-new-version-of-bears-megaprojects-bill/
• https://www.kwqc.com/2026/04/22/illinois-house-unveils-new-version-bears-megaprojects-bill/
• https://www.wifr.com/2026/04/22/illinois-house-unveils-new-version-bears-megaprojects-bill/