Rep. Moylan on Bears Legislation: "A Bill That Could Actually Pass"
The former Arlington International Race Course in suburban Arlington Heights. The Chicago Bears have purchased the property for the site of a new stadium.
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After dropping new legislation to restart negotiations on a new stadium for the Chicago Bears in suburban Arlington heights, Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) says he plans to get the bill done in the final weeks of the spring legislative session.
“I wanted to get a bill that could actually pass,” Moylan said.
The legislation would freeze property taxes on the site of the former Arlington International race course, which the Bears have purchased as a site for a new stadium and entertainment district.
The bill would also pool sate sales taxes, hotel taxes and liquor taxes and redistribute them to Arlington Heights, Cook County, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, and other neighboring communities to help pay for infrastructure improvements.
Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines).
Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) has previously said a megaproject bill that would impact a Bears stadium likely wouldn’t move this spring, but Moylan wasn’t settled.
“This is going to be a boom for the northwest suburbs,” Moylan said. “The Bears obviously had a bill that was dead in the water and wasn’t going anywhere. My bill has a chance of passing.”
Gillespie did not return a call seeking comment.
The Bears are likely to oppose all or part of the bill, including the ticket surcharge to pay off Solider Field debt.
“Paying off the bond debt is not the Bears responsibility and has never been contingent upon the team’s home games at Soldier Field,” the team said in a statement earlier this year. “Any suggestion that leads people to believe the Bears are responsible for any portion of the repayment of bonds, or the bond debt payment is dependent on the team’s home games at Soldier Field, is completely misleading.”
A source says the Bears were “caught off guard,” by the legislation.
“None of these proposals are going to cost the Bears a dime,” Moylan said. “That’s why I can’t figure out why anyone would be opposed to it. We’re not taxing the Bears, we’re taxing the admissions.”
Moylan is well known as a close ally of of organized labor, but he says unions did not play a role in drafting his legislation.
Moylan thinks he can muster enough support from Chicago Democrats to help pass the bill.
“If the Bears are gonna leave, they should have to throw something back to the city,” Moylan said.