INDIANAPOLIS — The state of Indiana took another step in their effort to lure the Bears to Hammond when, on Thursday, the Indiana State Senate passed the bill to establish the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. Gov. Mike Braun must now sign it into law, which is expected. The bill passed 45-4.
All that’s left is for the Bears to decide between Hammond and Arlington Heights.
“We sure give the Bears a lot to think about to come here,” state senator Rick Niemeyer said. “I think it’s very serious.”
Niemeyer, from Lowell, acknowledged that the Bears have flirted with moving to Indiana off and on over the years.
“It’s a little different this time,” he said. “I think it’s very serious.”
Sen. Ron Alting, an avowed Colts fan, was quick to say he wore No. 51 from seventh grade through high school because he admired star Dick Butkus.
“He was my man,” he said.
Senate Bill 27 empowers the NISA to acquire and finance a Bears stadium. It also would be tasked with construction, equipping, operating and maintenance of the proposed domed stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond. The bill would draw financing from Lake County and Porter County food and beverage tax and the Lake County inkeeper’s tax. Hammond would also impose an admissions tax and the state would renegotiate toll road fees.
State senator Ryan Mishler, who authored the bill, said the Bears could break ground in spring 2027, though there might be work done to the site this year. He praised Bears officials, saying it was a “privilege to work with those folks and learn more about their families.”
State senator Lonnie Randolph, who represents Hammond, Munster, East Chicago, Whiting and parts of Highland, praised the potential “enormous” economic impact of a stadium.
“This Bears thing is a major historical event,” he said.
The Bears have said they would pay $2 billion to build a stadium, be it in Hammond or Arlington Heights. The team owns the 326 acres at the former Arlington International Racecourse but is wants to pay lower property taxes. The Bears would keep any proceeds from naming rights of either stadium.
Just steps from the NFL Scouting Combine, the Indiana House of Representatives passed the bill by a 95-4 vote on Tuesday. The state’s legislative session ends Friday.
Bears chairman George McCaskey and chairman Kevin Warren made their usual trip to the NFL Scouting Combine but were not present during the votes Tuesday or Thursday.
On Tuesday, general manager Ryan Poles smiled when asked whether he had paid attention to the Bears’ dance with Arlington Heights and Hammond. Poles was swimming in a hotel pool in Grand Cayman a few weeks ago when Bears fans started telling him where they wanted the stadium.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in Kevin and George to get that done and do what’s best for our organization, our fan base,” he said. “There’s a lot of pieces involved with that. But like I said, I’ve got enough to worry about with the roster.”
In the last 22 months, the Bears have declared three separate sites as the only location that worked for them — first a Lakefront plot south near Soldier Field, then Arlington Heights and then, earlier this month, Hammond. The Bears first turned their attention to Indiana when Warren sent a letter to season ticket-holders in December saying the team had been told by Illinois lawmakers that “our project will not be a priority in 2026.”
Thursday, the Illinois Finance and Revenue Committee passed the so-called mega-project bill to allow the Bears to negotiate property taxes, sending it to the House floor.