Bears stadium legislation advances in Indiana as Illinois hearing abruptly canceled

An Indiana House committee advanced legislation Thursday that would support a new Bears stadium in Hammond, just as a scheduled hearing on competing Illinois legislation that would bring them to Arlington Heights was abruptly canceled.

Northwest suburban officials were expected to testify in Springfield on behalf of a bill that would pave the way to a stadium at the former Arlington Park racetrack. Instead, that scene was playing out across state lines at Indiana’s state capitol.

“It’s an opportunity, not just for Hammond, not just for Northwest Indiana, but for the entire state of Indiana,” Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. told the House Ways and Means Committee, which voted 24-0 for a bill to acquire land near Wolf Lake, issue bonds, build a stadium, and lease it to the Bears.

Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston said framework for the public-private partnership mirrors stadium deals in Indianapolis for Lucas Oil Stadium and Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which used a mixture of revenue sources to pay off bonds the state issued to fund stadium construction.

In Northwest Indiana, that would include a Hammond admissions tax, professional sports development area taxing district around the stadium, a 5% innkeepers tax in Lake County, and 1% food and beverage taxes in Lake and Porter counties. Huston said the Bears are willing to commit $2 billion to the project.

“We have work to be done to bring this all to fruition in making sure that we get Is dotted and Ts crossed,” Huston said.

The measure is now pending a vote in the full House next week, after an earlier version passed the Senate 46-2 on Jan. 28. A concurrence vote would be needed in the Senate before heading to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk.

The Bears said approval of the bill “would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date.”

The team’s statement stopped short of a full commitment to move to Indiana — an assurance initially sought by top Indiana lawmakers — saying instead the team is “committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence” in Hammond.

Indiana’s legislative calendar, with Thursday being the deadline for bills to advance out of committee, ahead of the General Assembly’s scheduled Feb. 27 adjournment, has amped up the pressure on Illinois lawmakers to reach a stadium deal with the club.

Rolling Meadows Mayor Lara Sanoica — an increasingly vocal advocate for the economic benefits a Bears stadium could bring to her town that borders the old racetrack property — said she was disappointed by the team’s announcement. But she urged lawmakers to support the Bears property tax break megaproject legislation that hasn’t moved in Springfield in three years.

“Here’s what was true this morning, and is still true now: There was not going to be a deal done today,” Sanoica said. “There is no time left for our region to remain divided and there is no time left to stay on the sidelines. Our region and our leaders must speak with one voice.”

“The Arlington Heights site is shovel-ready,” she added. “The bill is nearly agreed. We need a legislative solution. Everything else is noise.”

Arlington Heights officials, who were managing a large police response to a break-in and standoff on Thursday, said they planned to address the stadium situation Friday.

Gov. JB Pritzker said the Bears’ statement was a “surprise,” after more than three hours of closed-door negotiations Wednesday among his staff, legislators from both chambers, Bears brass and Arlington Heights officials.

Those in the room included Deputy Governor for Budget and Economy Andy Manar, state Rep. Kam Buckner, state Sen. Bill Cunningham, staff for House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, and Bears Executive Vice President of Stadium Development and Chief Operating Officer Karen Murphy.

Pritzker described the talks as “very positive” and said the parties “mostly agreed” on a bill that would move forward in the House Revenue and Finance Committee Thursday.

But Bears officials asked state leaders not to move forward with the bill so they could tweak a couple items in it, Pritzker said.

“Now they’re saying to us that that statement is not some confirmation that they’re moving to Indiana, but rather that Indiana had asked them to say that they’re going to move forward with the negotiations in Indiana,” Pritzker said during an event Thursday morning in downstate Collinsville.

“But I have to say it’s very disappointing to hear that they would put that statement out, but not say anything about the advancement that’s been made in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker added. “We’re waiting to hear from the Bears what they’d like to do next, cause they essentially stopped things in their tracks.”

Pritzker has spoken in support of the megaproject bill, which would allow the Bears or any developer spending at least $500 million on a project statewide to negotiate tax payments directly with affected local governments. He’s also been receptive to the team’s ask for some $850 million worth of infrastructure upgrades around Arlington Park.

The governor has pushed for affordability measures — such as lower ticket and concession prices — be incorporated into a final deal. What becomes of the 2003 Soldier Field renovations debt totaling around $500 million is unknown.

With talks still ongoing behind the scenes, the bill drafted by Democratic state Rep. Mary Beth Canty of Arlington Heights isn’t likely to be the final one legislators consider.

Tuesday marked the first day since last fall that the House and Senate were in session concurrently. Both chambers are scheduled to adjourn May 31.

But amid the legislative movement in the Hoosier state, they may move quicker.

Late Thursday, a new House committee hearing was set for 8 a.m. Feb. 26 in Springfield.