Full Text of HR0795 103rd General Assembly
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The recent push regarding new stadiums for the | 3 | | Chicago Bears, White Sox, and Red Stars has sparked a critical | 4 | | discussion on the most prudent use of our resources, | 5 | | particularly in the context of our State's pressing needs in | 6 | | affordable housing, education, economic development, and | 7 | | violence prevention; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, There are so many competing interests at stake | 9 | | with this issue, including lakefront protection; it is | 10 | | important to make sure we keep our sports teams playing and | 11 | | growing in Chicago but in a way that benefits everyone fairly; | 12 | | and | 13 | | WHEREAS, It has been almost four decades since the General | 14 | | Assembly created the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority that | 15 | | controls and spends a 2% hotel tax on every visitor to every | 16 | | hotel room in the entire City of Chicago, with all of those | 17 | | funds exclusively spent on stadium construction for two | 18 | | professional sports teams; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, It is time for the current General Assembly, | 20 | | stakeholders, and the general public to reassess whether | 21 | | public policies implemented almost four decades ago are the | 22 | | highest and best use of resources; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Building two new stadiums with public funds is at | 2 | | least twice as expensive as building one new stadium that can | 3 | | serve two or more professional sports teams; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, The threat of litigation for building any new | 5 | | facility on the lakefront and the success of that litigation | 6 | | against the proposed Lucas Museum suggests policymakers should | 7 | | consider other locations besides the lakefront; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, The vast expanse of land along 35th Street and | 9 | | the Dan Ryan that is owned and managed by the State of Illinois | 10 | | through the Sports Facilities Authority is currently occupied | 11 | | by an aging stadium and large parking lots that remain empty | 12 | | most of the year; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, It must be considered whether a vibrant new urban | 14 | | neighborhood filled with homes, apartments, shops, and | 15 | | attractions bustling with activity conveniently linked to | 16 | | public transit and major thoroughfares is a better use for | 17 | | state-owned land than a stadium with parking lots; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, In less than a decade, the current debt owed by | 19 | | the Sports Facilities Authority is scheduled to be paid, | 20 | | providing policymakers a clean slate with the opportunity to | 21 | | either eliminate the hotel tax or allocate those substantial |
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| 1 | | revenues to other uses, potentially including, but not limited | 2 | | to, transportation infrastructure, educational facilities, | 3 | | affordable housing, and economic development around tourism; | 4 | | and | 5 | | WHEREAS, While major sports events in Chicago bring | 6 | | overnight visitors who stay in hotels, so do numerous other | 7 | | events, such as trade shows, conventions, and live music | 8 | | concerts, and permanent attractions, such as universities, | 9 | | restaurants, theaters, and parks, which raises the question | 10 | | whether it is fair for all visitors to pay a tax exclusively | 11 | | for sports stadiums if most overnight guests do not visit | 12 | | Chicago for the purpose of attending a sporting event; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, All of the other industries that bring overnight | 14 | | guests to Chicago have capital and operating needs for | 15 | | enhancing their offerings and attractions, which raises the | 16 | | question whether the revenues from the hotel tax should be | 17 | | spread among all industries that attract overnight visitors or | 18 | | should continue to be focused exclusively on professional | 19 | | sports teams; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, The ongoing viability of professional sports | 21 | | teams that are winning championships in privately-owned and | 22 | | operated facilities reminds policymakers that there is a path | 23 | | for Chicago sports teams to grow and thrive without direct |
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| 1 | | taxpayer support; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, Public universities and high schools in Chicago | 3 | | also have ongoing needs for large facilities for sports | 4 | | events, graduations, and concerts, and they might have an | 5 | | appropriate role to play in this development discussion, | 6 | | especially the University of Illinois Chicago with its aging | 7 | | pavilion; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, There is an overwhelming need for more investment | 9 | | in the west and south sides of Chicago, especially for | 10 | | affordable housing built around new high schools, particularly | 11 | | in Austin, and funds for those developments must be considered | 12 | | at the same time as potential public funds for professional | 13 | | sports stadiums; therefore, be it | 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 15 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 | | we call for the highest and best use of state-owned land; and | 17 | | be it further | 18 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority is | 19 | | urged to proactively request proposals from developers for | 20 | | building housing and attractions on all of its land, | 21 | | including, but not limited to, the stadium and the parking | 22 | | lots for the benefit of the public and taxpayers with a goal of |
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| 1 | | moving as much of the land into the property tax rolls as | 2 | | possible; and be it further | 3 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority is | 4 | | urged to report on how much of the outstanding debt could be | 5 | | paid off by selling its existing assets to a private | 6 | | developer; and be it further | 7 | | RESOLVED, That all professional sports teams seeking a new | 8 | | stadium are urged to collaborate on finding one stadium | 9 | | solution that can serve more than one team in a private-sector | 10 | | led development to share the cost and keep the stadium filled | 11 | | for more of the year; and be it further | 12 | | RESOLVED, That the tens of millions of annual revenues | 13 | | from the 2% hotel tax should be considered as a source for all | 14 | | of our budget challenges; and be it further | 15 | | RESOLVED, That it would be a loss to Chicago and the rest | 16 | | of Illinois for any professional sports team to relocate to | 17 | | another state; and be it further | 18 | | RESOLVED, That with the current climate, the Sports | 19 | | Facilities Authority, the State of Illinois, the City of | 20 | | Chicago, Cook County, Friends of the Park, stakeholders, and | 21 | | the general public are urged to join together to evaluate the |
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| 1 | | highest and best use of resources for the benefits of | 2 | | businesses and taxpayers; and be it further | 3 | | RESOLVED, That we express confidence in our State's | 4 | | ability to dream big, think big, and collaboratively find the | 5 | | highest and best use of our land and taxes to grow our economy | 6 | | and keep all of our professional sports teams winning | 7 | | championships in Chicago. |
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