HAMMOND, Ind. (WISH) — The Chicago Bears are one step closer to an Indiana move as a stadium authority bill passed a committee Thursday morning.
Members of the state House Ways and Means Committee met Thursday to discuss a Senate bill that would create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, which would be capable of financing a multibillion-dollar, 35-year lease deal for a new NFL stadium.
According to Indiana Capital Chronicle, the state would own the stadium, while an NFL franchise – the Bears – would lease the stadium.
The bill passed out of the committee unanimously, 24 – 0. Several representatives chimed, “Go Bears!” as they submitted their vote. The stadium authority will be established if the bill is signed into law.
The Bears have previously said they were considering relocating after talks about a new stadium in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb, failed to gain traction.
State Rep. Earl Harris (D-East Chicago) said last week that the House would not move forward with the stadium authority unless it had a serious commitment from the Bears.
House Speaker Rep. Todd Huston (R-Cicero) said in Thursday morning’s meeting that this deal is a shared commitment between both parties.
Huston says funding will be similar to the process used for Lucas Oil Stadium. Bonds will also be used to support additional costs.
“We will also use, to support the infrastructure costs, dollars found through a re-negotiated lease with the Indiana Toll Road,” Huston said. “We’ve asked Lake County and Porter County to adopt a 1% county-wide food and beverage tax. We’ve asked Lake County to adopt a 5% innkeeper’s tax. Those dollars will be used to repay the Indiana Toll Road proceeds.”
Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. (D-Hammond) aggressively courted the team, pointing out that geographically, Hammond is closer to Chicago than Arlington Heights.
McDermott was teary-eyed when speaking during the committee meeting.
“Opportunities like this don’t come around often,” he said. “Not since U.S. Steel built the Gary Works a century ago has the Region seen a project with this kind of economic impact.”
“Indiana is a football state,” he continued. “We’re home to the Indiana Hoosiers football team, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Indianapolis Colts. Football is part of who we are. If this opportunity becomes reality, Indiana will be one of a few states with two NFL franchises.”
“We are ready to write Indiana’s next great chapter. We are ready to write Indiana’s next great chapter.
Illinois was still in negotiations with the Bears for the Arlington Heights stadium, but the meeting set to discuss the Illinois stadium authority on Thursday morning was canceled for an unspecified reason.
Statement from the Chicago Bears
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.
The Chicago Bears
Statement from Gov. Mike Braun
Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears.
We’ve identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal. If approved, the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 27 puts forward the essential framework to complete this agreement, contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly.
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.
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.
