Overview
- Indiana enacted SB 27 creating the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority and a special district to pursue a Bears stadium in Hammond.
- The financing plan includes a 12% admissions tax, a 1% food-and-beverage tax in Lake and Porter counties, and a 5% hotel-tax increase in Lake County with bonding authority.
- Gov. Mike Braun signed the legislation after lawmakers pitched roughly $1 billion in incentives tied to a site near Wolf Lake.
- Residents and Americans for Prosperity in Indiana criticized the package, warning of taxpayer exposure and limited public benefit.
- In Illinois, a PILOT tax-certainty bill advanced from committee but awaits a full House vote after recess to March 18, while Chicago’s mayor urges consideration of a lakefront option and the Bears continue evaluating both sites.