I am not surprised that the Chicago Bears are moving to Indiana. The Chicago Bears' endeavor for a new stadium took a "meaningful step" forward Thursday, opening the door for the storied franchise to leave Illinois to potentially build a new, domed stadium in Northwest Indiana.

Indiana lawmakers in the state House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved an amendment to Indiana State Bill 27 by a vote of 24-0 on Thursday that would clear a path for the Bears to build a stadium in Hammond, Indiana.

The bill would create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority with the power to issue bonds, acquire land and finance construction for the stadium.

The Bears had been seeking legislation in the state of Illinois that would allow the team to negotiate tax payments with local governing bodies instead of paying full property taxes. The team had previously announced that it would invest $2 billion into the construction of a stadium but was seeking an estimated $850 million in public funding to cover "essential local infrastructure," including roads, sewers and improvements to adjacent commuter rail lines around the 326-acre property the team purchased in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47977218/indiana-unanimously-passes-bill-lure-bears-away-chicago

Moving out

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The Bears took a significant step toward leaving Illinois on Friday.

The Bears' board of directors voted Thursday to advance their stadium development in Hammond, Indiana, with the exact site still to be determined. This is this first time that the Bears' board has voted on any stadium site.

The Bears' plans to leave the state they've called home since their inception for Indiana come just days after the end of Illinois' spring legislative session.

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The Bears' announcement Friday does not guarantee the team will leave Illinois. Per a league source, while Indiana is "in the lead" to lure the Bears across state lines to build a domed stadium, "Illinois can still get back in the race."

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After the "megaprojects" bill -- a proposal that would have allowed the Bears to negotiate payments in lieu of paying property taxes on the Arlington Heights, Illinois, property they currently own -- died in the Illinois senate last weekend, a late push was made with alternative legislation.

At 11 p.m. Sunday, Illinois state Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) introduced new legislation that would allow Cook County cities with more than 70,000 residents (such as Arlington Heights and Chicago) to create their own sports stadium authority. The Bears would pay for the construction of the new stadium, which the franchise has dedicated $2 billion in funding toward, and the land would be publicly owned.

The new bill passed the Illinois Senate 37-17 at 3:39 a.m. Monday. The House adjourned after 4:30 a.m. without taking a vote.

The Bears currently own a 326-acre property on the former site of the Arlington International Racecourse, which the team purchased in 2021.

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