Even with news that Indiana had passed a bill allowing the Chicago Bears to build their new stadium in Hammond, fans were holding out hope that Illinois would get back in the picture. That appears to finally be the case.
CHGO's Adam Hoge reported that a revised version of Illinois House Bill 910, filed by Rep. Kam Buckner to build the stadium in Arlington Heights, is expected to be considered. Hoge added that a source told him there is an expectation that not only will there be a push to pass the bill, but also to bring it to the House Floor for a vote by the end of Thursday, despite that scenario being a bit of a stretch.
All of this comes on the heels of Illinois cancelling a meeting last week regarding the bill to build the Bears' stadium. That opened the door for Indiana Governor Mike Braun and the Bears to release statements that they were talking about building a stadium there.
Illinois back in the fight to get Bears new stadium in their state
The reality is that this was always the expected outcome. Indiana was used by the Bears as a bargaining chip to pressure Illinois to pass a bill to build the stadium in Arlington Heights.
Illinois understands that it would lose millions from the Bears moving out of state. At the same time, they want to make sure the taxpayers aren't being taken advantage of and don't have to pay a ton of money for the new stadium.
This was the news Bears fans had been hoping to hear for a while, but it took too long to get. It appears things are back on track; now it is a matter of how quickly the state of Illinois wants to work to get something done, so Indiana doesn't swoop in and take it away from them.
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There were some scary moments over the last week, but it seems as though things are back on track for the Bears and their fans in Illinois.