The Bears ditching the Windy City in favor of Indiana is becoming a serious endeavor.
Lawmakers in the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved an amendment to a bill which clears a path for the Bears to build a stadium in Northwest Indiana.
Indiana State Bill 27 was approved with a 24-0 vote on Thursday and would create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, which would have the power to acquire land, issue bonds, and finance construction for the potential stadium.
The proposed site for the stadium is in Hammond, Indiana, which is roughly 30 minutes from Downtown Chicago and borders the state of Illinois.
The Bears said in a statement that the bill’s passage marks “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 team’s statement read, per NBC 5 Chicago. “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.”
Ahead of the vote, Indiana governor Mike Braun echoed his state’s desire for the Bears’ potential move, saying that it would be a “huge win for all Hoosiers.”
“The State of Indiana moves at the speed of business, and we’ve demonstrated that through our quick coordination between state agencies, local government, and the legislature to set the stage for a huge win for all Hoosiers,” Braun posted to X Thursday. “We have built a strong relationship with the Bears organization that will serve as the foundation for a public-private partnership, leading to the construction of a world-class stadium and a win for taxpayers.”
This comes after the Bears were seeking legislation in Illinois which would allow them to negotiate tax payments with local governments rather than paying full property taxes on a hypothetical new stadium.
The Bears have announced that they would invest $2 billion into a stadium’s construction but requested roughly an additional $850 million in state funding for “essential local infrastructure” around the property in Arlington Heights, Illinois the team bought back in 2023 for $197.2 million.
The team’s current lease at Soldier Field, which is owned by the city of Chicago, runs through 2033.
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