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AMENDMENT TO HOUSE RESOLUTION 627

2    AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend House Resolution 627 by deleting
3everything after the heading and replacing it with the
4following:
 
5    "WHEREAS, Professional sports franchises often relocate to
6address seating capacity limits, restructure debt, modernize
7the stadium experience, or to gain full authority over a new
8stadium; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The Chicago Bears professional football team has
10expressed a willingness to consider property in the Village of
11Arlington Heights; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Chicago Bears fans have also expressed an
13openness towards the team moving, with a recent informal
14survey of 6,000 people by Patch.com indicating that over 70
15percent of correspondents said they would like to see the team

 

 

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1move; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The former Arlington Park presents itself as a
3fresh development opportunity for the Village of Arlington
4Heights and the Chicago Bears team; it is conveniently
5situated off a major highway, just a 20-minute drive from
6O'Hare International Airport, and, crucially, it has its own
7dedicated stop on the Metra commuter rail line; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The economics of major professional sport leagues
9have been changing dramatically in recent years; from
10television and streaming rights to team-sanctioned legalized
11sports betting, worldwide merchandising deals, and massive
12media empires, teams have become huge corporate conglomerates
13with wide-ranging interests far beyond the stadium; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The location of the Chicago Bears team matters
15much less than their name, which implies that the team is one
16with Chicago so long as the team keeps its namesake; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Moving to a stadium in Arlington Heights presents
18an economic opportunity for a top-of-the-line stadium
19featuring a higher capacity and burgeoning entertainment,
20restaurant, and retail industry; the Arlington Heights
21location also provides easier access via the State's roadways
22and Metra commuter rail lines; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we urge the owners of the Chicago Bears to move the team to
4Arlington Park; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That the Chicago Bears organization should move
6to the Arlington Heights location without requesting
7incentives from local or state government that would go toward
8stadium construction; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
10delivered to the Chicago Bears organization, Chicago Mayor
11Lori Lightfoot, and Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes."