SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) — The clock is ticking for Illinois legislators as they face a critical deadline this weekend to decide the fate of the “mega-projects” bill, which could pave the way for a new Chicago Bears stadium in the state.
Lawmakers have a packed agenda, including discussions on a proposed ban on cell phones in Illinois schools, initiatives to increase housing, and ensuring employees receive pay when called for jury duty.
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ABC7 recently interviewed State Representative Kam Buckner, who is leading efforts in the House to secure the Bears stadium project.
To move forward, the measure must clear both chambers of the General Assembly by midnight Sunday, transitioning into Monday morning. Failure to meet this deadline might prompt the Bears to consider Hammond, Indiana, over Arlington Heights for their stadium.
After extensive Senate negotiations on a property tax formula designed to benefit both the Bears and local residents, Buckner notes that several new Senate proposals are emerging. These include a simplified bill focusing directly on the Bears, leaving other developers to future legislation.
“I’ve been humorously referring to the idea of a streamlined version of the mega-projects bill as being ‘on Ozempic,’ but honestly, I’m unsure what form that would take. It must be something both the Senate and the House find agreeable,” Buckner commented.
Buckner says as long as the Senate passes something by late Sunday night, the House would still have time to meet that midnight deadline, and he says he’s optimistic. This is typical Springfield, he says, and it’s often at the last minute that things get done.
State lawmakers have their work cut out for them in a very short period of time to get it all done, but they have also passed quite a few important pieces of legislation as well.
Keeping the Bears in Illinois has caught most of the public’s attention as state Lawmakers wind down their Spring legislative session, but there is much more going on than just a location of a new Bears stadium and the “mega-projects” bill it’s wrapped in.
“I think the most consequential piece is the regulations around large frontier developers of these AI systems,” Republican State Senate Minority Leader John Curran said.
Waiting for Governor JB Pritzker’s signature is a bipartisan bill to rein in the artificial intelligence industry. It would require third-party audits of big AI company models to ensure safety protocols are in place. Curran says mandating guardrails is aimed at preventing huge disasters.
“You could have an AI model go and take over a power system and shut down power in, you know, a state or an entire region, something of that scale, and think about what that would cost in terms of infrastructure and and damages,” Curran said.
Another bipartisan effort and potential win for the governor is a cell phone ban for in classrooms. Sen. Curran is confident it will pass this session, but, Pritzker’s BUILD Initiative, which paves the way to build more housing, will take some serious work over the weekend. It is facing opposition from local governments, as part of the bill gives state control over zoning.
“I think there’s a chance of it passing, but local control really is one of the biggest issues, especially with the city of Chicago,” Better Government Association VP Bryan Zarou said.
And there are other smaller and overlooked bills making it out of the spring session, including a jury duty bill.
“It makes it mandatory for anyone who has 25 or more employees to pay their employees when they’re out on jury duty,” Zarou said.
And there is the junk fee bill that requires all hidden fees for online ticket or food orders to be shown up front before consumers pay.
And lawmakers have passed the will bill. It allows people to store their wills at the county clerk’s office for a fee so when they die their loved ones can find it.
What must pass before May 31 is a balanced budget, as money is tight.
Democratic State Senator Robert Peters is hoping to pass an digital advertising tax to raise revenue.
“My belief is that we should make sure that tech CEOs who’ve been making so much money in the last year and a half pay their fair share,” Sen. Peters
As for the Bears “mega-projects” bill, with time ticking, lawmakers may now be holding off on the “mega-projects” piece and focus on passing something for the Bears only.
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