State Rep. Martin McLaughlin introduced legislation to keep the Chicago Bears — and their Halas Hall headquarters — in Illinois with a bill that would commit $2.5 billion in private investment toward a new stadium at the Arlington Park site in Arlington Heights.

McLaughlin (R-Lake Barrington) filed the Taxpayer and Investment Protection Agreement Act, or HB5797, on Tuesday, June 16, after the Bears' board of directors voted June 4 to advance stadium plans in Hammond, Indiana. That proposed Hammond site sits roughly 40 miles south of Halas Hall in Lake Forest.

"Illinois cannot afford to lose one of its most recognizable franchises and the billions of dollars in economic activity that come with it," McLaughlin said in announcing the legislation.

Under the bill, the Bears would privately fund at least $2.5 billion for stadium construction. The state would contribute up to $1.2 billion for public infrastructure improvements, supporting both the stadium and what McLaughlin's proposal estimates as $4 billion in surrounding development. The proposal includes binding 30-year commitments, property tax certainty, and an independent audit committee issuing annual public reports.

The $1.2 billion state infrastructure figure exceeds the roughly $800 million lawmakers had previously considered for the Arlington Heights site, according to NPR Illinois.

McLaughlin called Arlington Park the only viable Illinois location for a new stadium. The Bears purchased the 326-acre former racecourse property in 2021 and closed on it for $197.2 million in February 2023.

Indiana passed a tax-break package in February committing upward of $1 billion toward a Bears stadium, and Bears chairman George McCaskey and president Kevin Warren said in a June 5 statement that a Hammond stadium would "transform the region." But Illinois negotiations continue: Gov. JB Pritzker said June 23 the Bears are trying to combine provisions from bills passed separately by the Illinois House and Senate into a single package, and he remains open to calling a special session.

State Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) has also pushed to keep the team in-state, calling it "imperative" after the Senate passed its stadium measure on June 1.

Bears management has reportedly said Halas Hall in Lake Forest would remain the team's corporate headquarters even if a Hammond stadium is built, though the Bears have not issued a formal statement confirming that. The team did not respond to a request for comment on McLaughlin's bill. Training camp opens at Halas Hall on Monday, July 28.