Overview
- Gov. Mike Braun signed Senate Bill 27 after 45–4 Senate and 95–4 House votes, creating the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to pursue a Hammond stadium.
- Indiana’s framework relies on event- and visitor-focused taxes— including a 1% food and beverage surcharge in Lake and Porter counties, doubling Lake County’s hotel tax, a 12% admissions tax, and a special district capturing local taxes—targeting roughly $1 billion in incentives via long-term bonds.
- An Illinois House committee advanced a property-tax certainty mega-project bill on a 13–7 vote, moving a PILOT-style arrangement to the full House, with further action not expected until mid-March.
- The Bears say they will invest about $2 billion toward construction and are continuing site-specific due diligence at Hammond’s Wolf Lake and at Arlington Heights without selecting a location.
- Key hurdles remain, including environmental findings for the Hammond site and county approvals for Indiana’s taxes, plus final Illinois votes and infrastructure negotiations, as Pritzker emphasizes taxpayer safeguards and Braun says the team approached Indiana.