{"id":2549353,"date":"2026-01-23T13:52:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indiana-senate-moves-forward-with-bill-to-build-stadium-for-chicago-bears\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T13:54:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:54:45","slug":"indiana-senate-moves-forward-with-bill-to-build-stadium-for-chicago-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indiana-senate-moves-forward-with-bill-to-build-stadium-for-chicago-bears\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana Senate moves forward with bill to build stadium for Chicago Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Findiana-senate-moves-forward-with-bill-to-build-stadium-for-chicago-bears%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2549353&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Indiana lawmakers are moving forward with a plan to lure the Chicago Bears by creating a Northwest Indiana Stadium Commission to locate, finance, and build a new NFL stadium-potentially at Wolf Lake in Hammond, about 22 miles from downtown chicago. The Indiana Senate Appropriations Committee approved legislation that would have the state contribute roughly $1 billion to build a stadium owned by Indiana; the commission would then lease the facility to an NFL team for at least 35 years. Bears leadership has said talks with Indiana are genuine rather than a negotiating ploy,and the team expressed appreciation for the state&#8217;s engagement. Indiana officials and hammond&#8217;s mayor argue the move would give the Bears business advantages, while Illinois leaders have pushed back-Governor JB Pritzker has declined tax breaks for a stadium (though he&#8217;d consider infrastructure help), and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Welch called new<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >-stadium discussions insensitive amid<\/a> other budget priorities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Indiana Senate advances plans to lure Chicago Bears from Windy City<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2482336\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/indiana\/\">Indiana<\/a> Senate is advancing legislation to create a new commission to build a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/national-football-league\/\">National Football League<\/a> stadium, as the state is leaping at the chance to be the new home for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chicago\/\">Chicago<\/a> Bears.<\/p>\n<p>The Indiana Senate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/appropriations\/\">Appropriations<\/a> Committee approved legislation on Thursday to create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Commission, which would be tasked with finding a proper location, financing, and building a new stadium for the Bears. The legislation notes that there is open land in Hammond, Indiana, at Wolf Lake, which is close to the Chicago border and about 22 miles from downtown Chicago.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4431497\/duffy-ask-congress-approval-national-mall-indycar-race-america-250\/\">Duffy leads charge to ask Congress for approval for National Mall IndyCar race for America 250&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4431280\/iranian-prosecutor-denies-canceling-800-executions-as-trump-claimed\/\">Iranian prosecutor denies canceling 800 executions as Trump claimed<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4431350\/trump-trolls-environmental-insurrectionists-global-warming-winter-storm-eastern-us\/\">Trump trolls &#8216;Environmental Insurrectionists&#8217; over global warming as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trolls-environmental-insurrectionists-ahead-of-winter-storm\/\" title=\"Trump trolls &#039;Environmental Insurrectionists&#039; ahead of winter storm\">winter storm prepares<\/a> to hit eastern US<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The Bears&rsquo; season ended last Sunday with a home playoff loss, but the fate of the team&rsquo;s future home remains in limbo as Bears leadership and Illinois lawmakers continue to battle over a proposal to build a stadium in Arlington Heights, Illinois. When those talks stalled, the franchise turned to Indiana, shocking fans and making many believe it was a ploy to force Illinois lawmakers&rsquo; hands.<\/p>\n<p>But Chicago Bears President Kevin Warren wrote in a letter to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/first-cheerleading-squad-in-nfl-replaced-by-men-women-dance-team\/\" title=\"First Cheerleading Squad In NFL Replaced By Men\/Women Dance Team\">season ticket holders<\/a> that he was not entertaining moving to Indiana as a way to call Illinois&rsquo;s bluff. And Indiana, which is already home to the Indianapolis Colts, jumped at the chance to host the &ldquo;monsters of the Midway.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In his State of the State address on Jan. 14, Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-braun\/\">Mike Braun<\/a> (R-IN) said Indiana is working hard to convince the Bears to relocate.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-will-hold-2028-republican-national-convention-in-houston\/\" title=\"GOP to host 2028 Republican National Convention in Houston.\">strong business environment<\/a>, it&rsquo;s not surprising that another organization has noticed that Indiana is open for business: the Chicago Bears,&rdquo; Braun said. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We appreciate the leadership and responsiveness of Governor Braun and Indiana lawmakers in advancing a framework that allows these conversations to move forward productively,&rdquo; the Bears said in a statement after the appropriations committee began working on the legislation.<\/p>\n<p>Indiana officials have said the state would contribute $1 billion to build a new stadium. It would be owned by the state, but the stadium commission would rent the site to an NFL team for at least 35 years, per the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/iga.in.gov\/pdf-documents\/124\/2026\/senate\/bills\/SB0027\/SB0027.02.COMS.pdf\">bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The stadium in Arlington Heights would be owned by the Bears, which would subject the team to Cook County&rsquo;s property taxes &mdash; but most, if not all, NFL teams do not pay property taxes on their stadiums. Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) has said he is open to allocating state funds for infrastructure upgrades near the site, but he has declined to support tax breaks or financial aid for the facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott told Fox 32 Chicago that the Wolf Lake site offers more advantages to the Bears than the Arlington Heights site.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For the Bears as a business, it gives them all the advantages of being an Indiana business,&rdquo; McDermott <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fox32chicago.com\/news\/indiana-lawmakers-move-forward-bears-stadium-proposal\">said<\/a>. &ldquo;Lower liability rates for your employees. I mean, obviously, a better business environment in general. We have a surplus as a state, so I imagine our state would be able to offer more than Illinois is willing to offer because it seems like Illinois is sort of digging in against the Bears, which is shocking to me.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I mean, in the Bears fight song is &lsquo;the pride of Illinois,&rsquo; and it doesn&rsquo;t seem like they&rsquo;re being treated like the pride of Illinois right now,&rdquo; the mayor added.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/sports\/4420271\/commanders-rfk-stadium-trump-classical-design\/\"><strong>COMMANDERS UNVEIL RFK STADIUM RENDERINGS AS TRUMP PUSHES FOR CLASSICAL DESIGN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Welch said he thought it was &ldquo;insensitive&rdquo; for the legislature to focus on a new stadium at the start of the legislative session.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When folks say what&rsquo;s your priority going into the legislative session, we&rsquo;re trying to bring down the cost of living,&rdquo; Welch <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/news.wttw.com\/2026\/01\/06\/illinois-house-speaker-calls-bears-stadium-ask-insensitive-amid-budget-pressures\">said<\/a> at the beginning of the year. &ldquo;Talking about a brand new Bears stadium when this one&rsquo;s not even 25 years old, that&rsquo;s insensitive to what real people are going through right now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indiana seeks to lure Bears with new stadium<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2549354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26022862455357.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[69579,68705,4762,7215,71783],"class_list":["post-2549353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-chicago-bears","tag-indiana-senate","tag-legislation","tag-nfl","tag-stadium-bill"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26022862455357.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2549353"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2549359,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549353\/revisions\/2549359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2549354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2549353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2549353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2549353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}