Gov. JB Pritzker says the Chicago Bears will need to pay the outstanding debt on Soldier Field before state lawmakers consider property tax breaks. 

Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren wrote in an open letter Monday that their goal is to build a stadium that would not require any investment from the state. Warren again confirmed they plan for that stadium to be built in Arlington Heights.  

“We are partnering with political, labor, business, and community leaders across Illinois to develop a plan for property tax certainty and a fair contribution toward essential infrastructure that will benefit the entire community,” Warren wrote. “Arlington Heights is the only site within Cook County that meets that standard.”  

Warren said they predict the development, which will include the stadium and a mixed-use district, will create 56,000 construction jobs and 9,000 permanent jobs. They expect the development will equate to $256 million annually statewide in new business and tourism dollars.  

State leaders have rejected the idea of providing any state support for the Bears, or any other Illinois sports teams’ stadiums. While Warren's letter says they are not requesting any direct state funding at the moment, they have sought assistance with taxes.   

Team officials have asked for state lawmakers to pass legislation allowing for the Bears to negotiate with local officials over the amount of property tax they must pay.  

Read more: Chicago Bears officials, legislators, fighting a spin battle over potential property tax legislation 

Pritzker said Wednesday he has not spoken with Bears officials recently and noted that he still would like them to remain in Chicago. He did not immediately reject the Bears' request but said in order for the state to provide any support, the debts on Soldier Field must first be paid off.   

“We need the Bears to pay off what's owed on the existing stadium,” he said. “So that's going to be a really important feature of whatever happens going forward. And if they want a pilot bill or some other help, we're going to make that a prerequisite for something like that happening.”   

The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority still owes more than $500 million for the 2002 renovations of Soldier Field.   

Pritzker says action needed to regulate hemp 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced nationwide seizures of illegal vaping products in Bensenville Wednesday morning. They were on the site of a distributor where more than 600,000 illegal vaping products were seized.  

The raids also occurred in North Carolina, Arizona, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida. They’re part of a larger crack down on vaping products that are used by teens.  

Pritzker said he’s concerned about the issue, particularly about hemp. The lack of regulations on hemp products has been a point of discussion, particularly after a Pritzker-backed bill to regulate the products failed to pass during the January lame duck session.  

He said action needs to be taken, either by the state legislature or by his office.   

“Without any regulation whatsoever in this state, it literally is making our children sick, and it is a shame on legislators and on this state that we are not already doing something about it,” he said. “We need help from the legislature to make it happen, or if not, we may need to impose executive authority to try to shut those sales of intoxicating hemp.”  

Bondi and Kennedy’s visit comes amidst tensions between Illinois and the federal government after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to deploy the National Guard in Chicago.  

Pritzker said he had sources within the administration and the military that had been sharing information with him. He said they've been quiet lately, which he hopes is a sign troops will not be deployed in the city.  

“They're not calling us now, which I think is a good sign,” he said. “It is a sign that they are not hearing things that are suspiciously like we're going to see military troops coming.”