The Indiana Senate has passed a massive bill that would try to convince the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium in Hammond.
The measure, which had passed the House earlier this week, will now head to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk. It is expected the governor will sign the bill, taking the biggest step yet toward trying to bring the Bears to the Hoosier State.
In all, the measure offers approximately $1 billion in incentives to the Bears to convince them to build a new stadium in Hammond, and that money would come from a series of new tax levies in the area surrounding the proposed site near Wolf Lake.
Among those taxes would be a 1% food and beverage tax surcharge assessed in Lake and Porter counties, on top of the state’s existing 7% tax on those items.
Lake County’s hotel tax would also double as a result of the bill, rising from 5% to 10%, according to lawmakers.
There would be a 12% tax assessed on all tickets purchased to games at the venue.
CapitolFax is also reporting there would be a special taxing district in Hammond that would capture sales, use and income taxes within the district. There would also be tollway funds allocated to road improvements.
The advancements made by Indiana lawmakers have stepped up urgency on the part of Illinois officials, who are continuing to negotiate with the Bears over a potential stadium project in suburban Arlington Heights.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has expressed optimism talks are heading in the right direction, and Bears CEO Kevin Warren echoed those sentiments in a statement to Crain’s Chicago Business in recent days.
“We continue to work with Illinois’ leadership and appreciate the progress being made,” Warren said.
Illinois’ General Assembly will be in session until May, but they’ll need to generate momentum in order to convince the Bears to leave the decision about their future home open.
An Illinois House committee advanced a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) bill on Thursday in Springfield, but it’s unclear whether the measure would have enough votes to pass out of the full House.
That bill is considered critical to the Bears’ decision on whether to build in Arlington Heights, as it would lock in their property tax rates.
Illinois officials would still need to discuss legislation to assist the Bears with infrastructure improvements around the site, something that Pritzker and other lawmakers have said they’d be willing to explore.
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