Indiana just fired a warning shot across Chicago's bow in the battle for the Bears. A key Indiana House committee on Thursday unanimously advanced an amendment to a bill that would set up the new Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, empowering it to issue bonds, scoop up land, and finance a domed NFL venue in Hammond, reports ESPN. The 24-0 vote on Senate Bill 27 is being touted by the team as a major milestone in its long-running stadium search. The Bears said the measure would be "the most meaningful step forward" so far toward building a "world-class stadium" near Wolf Lake, a cross-border area straddling southeast Chicago and Hammond, about a 25-minute drive from Soldier Field.
Gov. Mike Braun posted online that "Indiana is open for business" and called the Hammond site "promising," saying the bill lays out a broad framework for a final agreement, pending due diligence on the land. The proposed stadium authority would effectively give Indiana the infrastructure to move quickly if a deal is struck, positioning Hammond as a regional destination for "all of Chicagoland," as the team put it.
The move comes as negotiations in Illinois stall. The Bears have sought state legislation allowing them to negotiate their property tax burden with local governments, after buying a 326-acre site in Arlington Heights and pitching a $2 billion stadium there, though it said it would need about $850 million in public money for roads, sewers, and transit upgrades. An Illinois House hearing on that tax bill was abruptly canceled on Thursday.
Gov. JB Pritzker's office said Bears execs themselves asked lawmakers to pause the hearing for revisions; he expressed surprise at the team's praise for Indiana and the fact that it seemed to be "ignoring Illinois." The Athletic notes that the Bears' statement, which didn't fully commit to an Indiana relocation, "may have been a calculated measure to maintain pressure on the Illinois Legislature." Pritzker added that he was "very disappointed" in the development, reports the AP. The Bears' lease at city-owned Soldier Field runs through 2033, per ESPN.
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