Bill Text: IL HR0795 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Calls for the highest and best use of state-owned land. Urges the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to proactively request proposals from developers for building housing and attractions on all of its land, including, but not limited to, the stadium and the parking lots for the benefit of the public and taxpayers with a goal of moving as much of the land into the property tax rolls as possible. Urges the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to report on how much of the outstanding debt could be paid off by selling its existing assets to a private developer. Urges all professional sports teams seeking a new stadium to collaborate on finding one stadium solution that can serve more than one team in a private-sector led development to share the cost and keep the stadium filled for more of the year. Calls on the revenues from the 2% hotel tax to be considered as a source for all of the budget challenges. Expresses that it would be a loss to Chicago and the rest of Illinois for any professional sports team to relocate to another state. Urges the Sports Facilities Authority, the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, Cook County, Friends of the Park, stakeholders, and the general public to join together to evaluate the highest and best use of resources for the benefits of businesses and taxpayers. Expresses confidence in our state's ability to dream big, think big, and collaboratively find the highest and best use of our land and taxes to grow our economy and keep all of our professional sports teams winning championships in Chicago.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-17 - Referred to Rules Committee [HR0795 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0795-Introduced.html
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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