Bears Shift Stadium Focus To Indiana As IL Lawmakers Cancel Project Meeting: Team

CHICAGO — Following the cancellation of a Thursday morning meeting by Illinois lawmakers to discuss a megaproject bill designed to keep the team in the state, the Chicago Bears have reportedly shifted focus to building a new stadium in Indiana.

In a statement released by the Bears, the team said Indiana State Bill 27 (SB 27), which passed unanimously out of committe by a 24-0 vote Thursday, "marks the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date." The bill would create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to facilitate building a new stadium by enabling the authority to acquire land, issue long-term bonds and finance construction.

"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 statement from the Bears continues.

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Indiana Governor Mike Braun said Thursday his state's "pro-growth environment" has led to the partnership with the Bears. He added that the relationship "will serve as the foundation for a public-private partnership, leading to the construction of a world-class stadium and a win for taxpayers."

Meanwhile, a hearing on proposed legislation to keep the Bears in Illinois was canceled Thursday in Springfield. Matt Hill, deputy chief of staff for communication for Gov. JB Pritzker, said on social media the Bears had requested the "pause" on the hearing.

Following what he called a "productive" three-hour meeting with the Bears on Wednesday, Hill said the governor was surprised "to see a statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois."

Last week, Pritzker said he and state lawmakers have been meeting with the team since December and those negotiations were pointing toward the Bears staying in Illinois, specfically at the former Arlington Park racetrack site in Arlington Heights.

"There are a lot of ongoing conversations with the Bears, and indeed, frankly, progress has been made," Pritzker said on Feb. 9. "I'm pleased about that, but I'm going to let the Bears talk about what it is that they want to get done, and how they want to get it done."

In February 2023, the Bears closed on a $197.2 million property agreement to buy the 326-acre property that housed the former racetrack.

Last month, Arlington Heights officials held a "Keep the Bears in Illinois" press conference at Village Hall, urging lawmakers to pass a "mega projects bill" that would allow large-scale development projects to move forward throughout Illinois, including the one proposed at the Arlington Park site.

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