The Bears have a plan to spend $2 billion of their own money on a $3.2 billion stadium to be built on the lakefront in Chicago. 

But it also needs as much as $1.5 billion more in infrastructure spending to address future traffic and other concerns. The NFL team figures the state can extend a Chicago hotel tax for decades to come and find more than a billion dollars in other spending to cover the rest. 

Speaker of the House Chris Welch, a Democrat from suburban Chicago, says he told the team last month, this isn’t a great time to ask lawmakers for billions in handouts.

Bears President Kevin Warren said last week, he wants to see lawmakers in Springfield to approve the funding part of this plan by the end of the current spring session.