SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — State lawmakers have not taken a vote on the Chicago Bears-endorsed megaprojects bill since April 22, but Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters Monday that he is optimistic the General Assembly will pass the plan before session ends.

Bears fans and mayors hoping to land megaprojects are anxiously waiting to see action on the Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, bill with two weeks left in the theoretical fourth quarter. 

Pritzker said the Senate is still working on amended language for the plan that could let companies working on megaprojects have their property taxes frozen for up to 40 years and negotiate an annual smaller payment based on a weighted vote of local taxing bodies.

"My north star is protecting the taxpayers of Illinois," Pritzker said. "We need to have something that works for the state of Illinois that's fair, as we are being fair with other businesses that want to come to Illinois or expand here, that we're being fair in the allocation of support for a business expanding in the state while also protecting taxpayers."

House sponsors said the state should use half of the revenue for property tax relief for Illinois families. Sixty percent of that funding would go to local communities with megaprojects, and the remaining 40% could be invested in the statewide property tax relief fund. 

However, data from the governor's office recently showed that the proposal would provide little relief to the average homeowner. Republicans are demanding more action to tackle property taxes.

"We can stop the bond rollovers. We can insist that local taxing bodies can only keep so much in reserves," said Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva). "We have all these bills here. They're real, and they will provide property tax relief for people in this state."

The House megaprojects bill also includes language to create the Capitol Area Tourism Authority, which could support tourism, hospitality and economic development in Downtown Springfield. The same plan could create the Capitol City Downtown Medical District to improve healthcare, education and research.

"This project is not an overnight sensation," said Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield). "We have been working on this in a very deliberate and methodical manner for several years. It has been a long time coming, and now here we are."

State senators could introduce their amended megaprojects bill this week. The plan would have to go through a committee vote before it could be considered on the Senate floor. Then, the legislation would have to return to the House for state representatives to review the changes.

While the plan is up in the air, Pritzker stressed one thing is clear — the Bears will not be staying in Chicago despite Mayor Brandon Johnson's last-minute push to keep the team.

"I'd love them to be in the city, but we're three years in now, and he still has no plan," Pritzker said. "The Bears have said publicly, and I think they said so last Friday, that they have now only two options, which [are] the state of Indiana or Arlington Heights." 

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