Illinois budget – With roughly 28 hours left in Illinois’ spring session and a Sunday night budget deadline looming, lawmakers kept the Chicago Bears’ property-tax incentive talks stalled while Democratic leaders weighed new taxes tied to digital advertising, prediction markets
SPRINGFIELD — In Springfield, the clock felt heavier than the policy binders. By Saturday evening, lawmakers were still trying to finish an Illinois budget before a Sunday night deadline, even as the Chicago Bears’ push for a tax-break deal sat unresolved in the waning hours of the spring session.
For the Bears, the stakes are immediate and personal. For more than three years. the team has pursued legislation that would let it negotiate discounted payments in lieu of taxes. known as PILOT. with local governments — a way to cut property taxes that could top $100 million on the dome they want to build in Arlington Heights.
And for legislators, the pressure was just as real: the budget itself needs to be passed by their Sunday night deadline, with about 28 hours left in the session and legislative leaders signaling they routinely keep budget talks moving until the final minutes.
“There’s still time,” state Sen. Bill Cunningham, a South Side Democrat leading the stadium discussions, said as the session stretched toward its endgame.
But Gov. JB Pritzker. Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon all said they were focused on the budget while lawmakers met in a marathon stretch to close out the session. Pritzker, after an hourlong meeting with Welch and Harmon on Friday evening, said, “I’m focused on the budget. That is the most important thing.”.
The three top leaders met again Saturday morning as well, with “tempered optimism” on budget talks but no clear signals on the Bears’ property tax incentives.
The Bears’ PILOT bill languishes
The hurdles for the Bears run through the structure of the incentives lawmakers are willing to consider.
The Illinois House passed a bill last month that would divert half of PILOT payments into broader tax relief programs for average homeowners. But analyses suggest those benefits would be scant.
In the Senate, lawmakers are expected to overhaul that House version. One idea is to narrow the measure so it would apply only to a “megaproject” valued at $100 million or more. Another approach under consideration would confine the legislation to the Arlington Heights site the Bears closed on in 2023 — a move that would likely be difficult for Chicago lawmakers. who at minimum want assurances that Chicago would receive something in return.
State Sen. Robert Peters, whose South Side district includes the Bears’ current home, said the concern is straightforward: “We have to make sure that the city of Chicago is getting something out of this.”
As the session wound down, those competing demands left the path unclear.
Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers-Grove, said his side was ready to support “the right” bill, but that support depended on a Bears-only option that helps the team move to Arlington Heights. Cunningham, by contrast, said all options were “still at play.”
The team’s own officials in Springfield said they remained optimistic about a deal, even as any agreement would almost certainly be less generous than the $1 billion-plus commitment Hoosier lawmakers have made for a Bears stadium in Hammond, Indiana.
Jason Lee, senior adviser to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson — who this month made a Hail Mary pitch to keep the Bears in city limits — was in the Capitol for the final drive. When asked whether lawmakers could scuttle the move to Arlington Heights, Lee answered, “Your guess is as good as mine.”
New taxes on the table — and the argument that follows
While stadium talks played out behind closed doors, budget negotiations drove the broader fight.
Democratic caucuses were considering a range of potential sources to balance a spending plan expected to land around $56 billion — and the menu included new taxes connected to digital and emerging markets.
Among the proposals under discussion were taxes on social media companies, along with new taxes on digital advertising, prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, cryptocurrency and fantasy sports.
Those ideas are facing stiff resistance. Numerous business and industry interests have vehemently opposed them. and lawmakers expect potential legal and court challenges. especially since a similar city-level social media tax in Chicago has already been hit by litigation. Because of that, revenue estimates would not be directly locked into the budget.
Legislators were also considering upping sales taxes on candy, soda and tobacco, as well as decoupling from federal business tax breaks among other options.
Republicans argued that the proposals would hold back Illinois’ growth. Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said, “Healthy states don’t need new taxes,” adding, “Why? Because they’re growing.”
As of Saturday evening, full budget bills had not been introduced. Lawmakers had, however, filed a bill earlier this month laying out spending of more than $53 billion.
The session’s unfinished business also extended beyond the Bears and taxes. Time was running out for other measures. including further regulations on artificial intelligence companies. limits to local zoning regulations aimed at bolstering affordable housing. and a moratorium on introducing new data centers to the state.
In the end, Saturday felt like the moment when everything was still possible — and nothing was guaranteed. The Bears’ property-tax incentive talks lingered. the budget clock kept ticking. and the leaders tasked with final decisions were signaling. in different ways. that they were not yet willing to give the public a clear answer on either front.
Illinois budget Chicago Bears PILOT Arlington Heights stadium Bill Cunningham JB Pritzker Emanuel Welch Don Harmon Kalshi Polymarket cryptocurrency fantasy sports social media tax Chapin Rose John Curran