Will the [Chicago Bears](https://www.oregonlive.com/topic/chicago-bears/) be moving to Indiana, or are they staying in Illinois?
That is now the question after the latest development in the NFL team’s yearslong quest to build a new indoor stadium.
An Indiana House committee unanimously passed legislation Thursday that would create a stadium finance authority to oversee the financing and construction of a dome in northwest Indiana. The Bears reportedly are interested in a site near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana, about 18 miles southeast of Soldier Field.
The Bears’ front office hailed the move by Indiana lawmakers Thursday, but the team did not fully commit to moving there. The Bears have played at Soldier Field, just south of downtown Chicago, since 1971.
“The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” the team said in a statement. “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.”
Although the city of Hammond borders Illinois and is located in the Chicago metro area, Illinois officials including Gov. JB Pritzker have been pushing for the Bears to build in Arlington Heights, a suburb northwest of the city. The team also has explored a site on the Chicago lakefront.
A move to Arlington Heights remains in play, [the Chicago Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears-stadium/2026/02/19/chicago-bears-stadium-hammond-indiana-move). Pritzker and other Illinois officials reportedly met with Bears brass for three hours on Wednesday.
Indiana certainly took a significant step toward landing the team on Thursday, but a Bears stadium quest that already has seen many twists and turns might not be over yet.