DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) — A Republican state senator from Iowa proposed an idea last year for the state to add some of Minnesota’s southern counties. That didn’t happen. Another Republican state representative suggested this year that Iowa could get some of Illinois’ western counties. That is unlikely to happen either. Now, some Republican lawmakers are throwing another Hail Mary: that the Chicago Bears should move to Iowa.
The proposal announced Tuesday suggests that state leaders could expand economic development funds to provide incentives to lure the owners of the National Football League club to Iowa.
Chicago has been home to the Bears since 1921.
“The Chicago Bears are looking for a state that will appreciate them and welcome them with open arms, and we are filing a bill today that says Iowa is happy to be that home,” said Senator Kerry Gruenhagen, a Republican from Walcott, in a news release.
She added, “Bringing an NFL team to Iowa would attract jobs, tourism and fans to our state and give us the opportunity to showcase what Iowa really has to offer. Iowans have dedicated themselves to our college sports teams, and we’re ready to attract a professional team to our great state.”
Senator Scott Webster, a Republican from Bettendorf, also signed on as a co-sponsor.
He said in a statement, “For years, we have been working to grow Iowa and make it a great place to live and work. Iowa has made great strides in making our state competitive not just in the Midwest but nationwide.”
The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971. The Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights and Gary, Indiana, both have supporters hoping to build a new stadium for the Bears to get the team to move out of the city.
The Chicago metropolitan area offers a population base far greater than eastern Iowa, for example, could. Chicago’s metro area tops 9 million people, which is nearly 20 times as large as the population in the Quad Cities.
These are the Republican lawmakers who co-sponsored the legislation to try to build a stadium in Iowa for the Chicago Bears:
Senator Dan Dawson (Council Bluffs)Senator Kerry Gruenhagen (Walcott)Senator Dawn Driscoll (Williamsburg)Senator Scott Webster (Bettendorf)Senator Mike Bousselot (Ankeny)Senator Cherielynn Westrich (Ottumwa) Senator Carrie Koelker (Dyersville)
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