Bears say GOP stadium legislation is ‘significant milestone’ in talks to move team

Indiana lawmakers have taken their first public steps in creating legislation to potentially lure the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state—and the NFL franchise called the move “a significant milestone.”

Language amended into a bill Thursday would create a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority authorized to acquire land, finance capital improvements and enter into leases with private entities–including NFL teams.

Senate Bill 27 marks the Indiana Legislature’s first formal overture to the Bears organization, which has expressed an interest in leaving Illinois and has sent representatives to tour potential stadium sites in northwest Indiana.

It was originally filed as a vehicle bill–essentially a placeholder–when the legislative session kicked off on Dec. 8.

The newly amended SB 27 is authored by Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, and Sen. Chris Garten, R-Charlestown.

“Senate Bill 27 sets a framework as we continue discussions throughout the rest of the legislative session on the possibility of bringing the Bears to northwest Indiana,” Mishler told the IBJ in a written statement.

Just last week, Mishler characterized the conversations with the Bears as being in the early stages and that “the ball’s in their court.”

On Thursday evening, the Bears issued a statement saying the “legislation presented by the state of Indiana is a significant milestone in our discussions around a potential stadium development in Chicagoland’s Northwest Indiana region. We appreciate the leadership and responsiveness of Governor Braun and Indiana lawmakers in advancing a framework that allows these conversations to move forward productively.”

What the bill says

Language in the proposed legislation would create the stadium authority as a stand-in for the state; the authority would function as the owner of a new stadium.

The authority’s three-member board would be made up of the director of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget, a budget office designee and the director of the Public Finance Authority.

SB 27 doesn’t mention the Bears by name, but it specifically allows the new stadium authority to enter into agreements with an NFL franchise. Under the current language, that NFL team would have to commit to a 35-year lease.

SB 27 gives the authority the power to issue 40-year bonds to buy land and pay for construction. The bill says the bonds are repayable from rent payments, insurance proceeds and “any other funds pledged or available.”

The bill stipulates the authority would own the stadium, but the team would pay for repairs and operational costs. During the lease term, the NFL team would have the option to buy the stadium for the cost of the outstanding debt—or for $1 once the project is fully paid off.

The team would also retain operating revenue generated by the stadium.

The lease structure outlined in SB 27 appears to be a departure from the proposed arrangement at the Arlington Heights site in Illinois. There, the team had said it was prepared to invest upwards of $2 billion to build and own the stadium but sought about $855 million in public funding for infrastructure improvements.

‘Let’s get it across the finish line’

The new bill language comes a day after Gov. Mike Braun shouted out the NFL team in his State of the State address.

“We are working hard to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier State so they can really see what a great place [it] is to have a business,” Braun said in his remarks. “We’ll work hard to do it. Let’s get it across the finish line.”

In December, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren published a letter stating the team was expanding its search for a new stadium site to include northwest Indiana, triggering a flurry of activity that has included site visits, ground testing and, now, legislation.

Recently, top Bears officials have toured prospective stadium sites in Arlington Heights and northwest Indiana, reportedly with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The team also sent out a survey to season ticket holders this week gauging their interest for a stadium campus in northwest Indiana. The questionnaire referred to an unspecified stadium and mixed-use development site.

Although Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other state legislative leaders have been reluctant to take up the team’s asks, Pritzker in recent days has been vocal about his administration’s desire to find a solution with the team.

However, according to Crain’s Chicago Business, Pritzker also cautioned that assistance for the Bears would need to be balanced with Illinoisans’ needs.

“I want what’s best for the taxpayers in the end,” Pritzker said. “We’re going to make sure we do the best that we can for the Bears, but most of all that we’re not wasting taxpayer money.”

SB 27 now goes to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, which Mishler, the bill’s author, chairs.