INDIANAPOLIS — The Chicago Bears moved closer to relocating to Indiana Thursday as a House committee unanimously passed legislation creating the framework to finance a new NFL stadium in Hammond.
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Senate Bill 27, amended in the House Ways and Means Committee and passed 24-0, now heads to the House floor.
It would establish the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority with power to acquire land and finance construction near Wolf Lake in Hammond. The bill would fund the new facility for the Bears through food and beverage tax, innkeepers tax, and local excise taxes. The Speaker of Indiana House Todd Huston says that will equal out to about a billion dollars of investment in infrastructure and bonds. He says the bears committed to a two billion dollar investment for the stadium.
In a coordinated announcement, Gov. Mike Braun, House Speaker Todd Huston and Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott outlined their framework for negotiations with the Bears, who released a statement calling the Indiana progress "the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date."
"We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana," the Bears said Thursday.
But Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker expressed surprise and disappointment at the Bears' public statement during an event Thursday in Collinsville, Illinois.
"It was a surprise to us," Pritzker said. "The Bears actually yesterday we completed more than 3 hours, my team did of discussions with the Bears, very positive discussions, and indeed, mostly agreed on a bill that would move forward this morning, but they asked us not to move forward with it this morning."
Pritzker said Illinois had made significant advancement in negotiations with the Bears, making the team's Indiana statement "very disappointing."
The Illinois governor outlined his state's approach to any Bears deal, emphasizing taxpayer protection.
"I've said from the start we are not gonna build a stadium for them. We do infrastructure," Pritzker said. "We wanna make sure that we're protecting the consumers and taxpayers of the state."
The bill, authored by Sen. Ryan Mishler (R-Mishawaka), passed out of committee with the amendment and now advances to the full House for consideration.
"Indiana is open for business," said Gov. Braun. "We've identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal. The amendment to Senate Bill 27 puts forward the essential framework to complete this agreement, contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly."
Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott called bringing the Bears to Hammond "truly transformative," saying it "will change Hammond and Northwest Indiana for future generations."
The Bears have been exploring alternatives to Soldier Field after negotiations with Illinois officials stalled. The Wolf Lake site sits strategically along Interstate 90, close to Chicago's metropolitan area.
The legislation must pass the full House before the legislature adjourns later this month.
Read The Bears' full statement below:
"The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date. We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana. We appreciate the leadership shown by Governor Braun, Speaker Huston, Senator Mishler and members of the Indiana General Assembly in establishing this critical framework and path forward to deliver a premier venue for all of Chicagoland and a destination for Bears fans and visitors from across the globe. We value our partnership and look forward to continuing to build our working relationship together."
