Chicago Bears Pursued by Indiana With New Stadium Financing Bill

(Bloomberg) -- The Chicago Bears are the focus of a new push in Indiana’s House of Representatives, where lawmakers are advancing legislation to create a stadium financing authority aimed at luring the team to northwest Indiana.

The move marks a stepped-up effort by Indiana officials to entice the National Football League franchise across state lines as the Bears continue their long search for a new home. On Monday, the legislation was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, meaning hearings could begin as early as this week. A floor vote is possible before lawmakers adjourn at the end of the month.

Pro sports teams have looked across state lines for better financing offers and even used them as a bargaining chip. The Kansas City Chiefs announced in December that they are moving across the Missouri border to Kansas after lawmakers there approved a public financing package to build a new stadium.

Indiana’s overture comes after years of talks between the Bears and officials in Illinois over potential sites in Chicago and suburban Arlington Heights. Illinois officials say discussions with the team are ongoing, though progress has been limited.

Indiana Republican House Speaker Todd Huston said lawmakers aim to finalize key terms of his state’s plan during the second half of the legislative session. 

“We’re having those conversations. We’ve got to put some meat in that bill,” Huston said. “I feel very good about that happening.”

Governor Mike Braun, also a Republican, has already endorsed the measure in a post on X.

“The Indiana Senate’s passage of SB 27 is another positive and significant step toward building a world-class stadium in Northwest Indiana for Chicago Bears fans and all of Chicagoland,” the Bears said in a statement last week.

Still, Illinois officials say talks are continuing. 

Governor JB Pritzker, a Democract, rejected a Chicago stadium proposal in 2024 that relied in part on municipal bonds, calling it a non-starter. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority — which owns Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, and financed renovations to Soldier Field — is still paying off debt from those projects.

In Illinois’s fall legislative session, lawmakers also failed to reach a deal with the Bears over a stadium on a 326-acre site it owns in Arlington Heights. However, earlier this month, Pritzker said those discussions were ongoing. 

“The Governor has always said he wants the Bears in Illinois, while maintaining a hardline against using taxpayer dollars to fund a private stadium,” a spokesperson for Pritzker said in a statement. 

Important conversations with stakeholders and within the Democratic caucus are still underway, a spokesperson for Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, a Democrat, said last week.

“I still believe Illinois can land on smart, prudent and creative solutions that support this iconic Illinois institution, while making sure the people of Illinois are protected and prioritized,” said Illinois Representative Kam Buckner, who is a top budget negotiator in the chamber and has criticized the cost of past stadium projects for taxpayers. “Our conversations with the Bears continue in earnest.”

--With assistance from Amanda Albright.

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