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The latest chapter in the Chicago Bears stadium saga unfolded this week as an Indiana House panel unanimously approved legislation that lays out a financing framework for a potential NFL facility.
Senate Bill 27 cleared the House Ways and Means Committee and now heads to the full House for a vote. The House would need to pass the bill before the legislature adjourns at the end of February.
The bill would establish the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, granting the new agency power to oversee land acquisition and coordinate financing for construction of a state-of-the-art facility near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana.
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Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, House Speaker Todd Huston and Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott jointly announced Thursday's 24-0 committee vote.
"Indiana is open for business," Braun said. "We've identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal."
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The Bears reacted to the news, releasing a statement describing the development in Indiana as "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 added.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson underscored his position that the NFL franchise should remain in the city that bears the team’s name.
"The Bears belong in the City of Chicago," he said at a news conference.
"I've said repeatedly that the door is always open for conversations. (Bears CEO) Kevin Warren did call me yesterday, we didn't get a chance to connect. I still firmly believe that their best position is in Chicago and the evidence is clearly speaking for itself."
The Bears have alternated between developing land in Arlington Heights and rebuilding on the Chicago lakefront at Soldier Field, before shifting back to the suburb. The Bears have played at historic Soldier Field since 1971. The lakefront stadium first opened in 1924 and has undergone numerous renovations over the decades.
The Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday morning on a bill that would allow the Bears and any other developer of a large enough project to negotiate long-term property tax rates with local taxing bodies. But that got canceled.
"Illinois was ready to move this bill forward," Matt Hill, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, wrote on X. "After a productive three-hour meeting yesterday, the Bears leaders requested the (Illinois General Assembly) pause the hearing to make further tweaks to the bill. This morning, we were surprised to see a statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois."
The Bears hosted two playoff games at Soldier Field in January, defeating division rival Green Bay in a wild-card round thriller. The following week, the Los Angeles Rams outlasted the Bears in a frigid divisional round matchup in Chicago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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