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Ways and Means advances bill to enable Chicago Bears stadium in Hammond
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Summary
A Ways and Means committee advanced an amended Senate Bill 27 to create the framework for a Chicago Bears stadium in Hammond, backing bond-based financing paid by local admissions and proposed county taxes; supporters highlighted jobs and investment while a taxpayer-advocacy witness urged caution.
The House Ways and Means committee advanced an amended Senate Bill 27 to establish the framework for building an NFL stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond and to enable a public-private partnership with the Chicago Bears.
Speaker Houston, the bill sponsor, told the committee the legislation would allow the state to support a bond issuance to fund stadium construction, with repayment expected from a Hammond admissions tax and revenue captured inside a proposed Public Stadium Development Area (PSDA). "The Chicago bears are willing to invest over $2,000,000," the sponsor said during his presentation; when a committee member asked for clarification he corrected the figure as "with a B," indicating the organization’s contribution is hundreds of times larger than the initial figure presented.
The bill would also rely on locally enacted levies to cover infrastructure and bond repayment, Speaker Houston said: he asked Lake and Porter counties to adopt a countywide 1% food and beverage tax and asked Lake County to adopt a 5% innkeepers tax, and said some infrastructure funding could come from a renegotiated Indiana Toll Road lease. "We will support a bond issuance to ... help be a partner in the building of the stadium," the sponsor said, describing a financing approach the state has used for other major venues.
Why it matters: backers said the stadium would drive economic development, create construction and service jobs, increase tourism spending and spur ancillary projects across Northwest Indiana. "This is a once in a generation opportunity," Tom McDermott Junior, mayor of Hammond, told the committee, urging state support and partnership with the Bears. Local leaders — including Lake County officials, Porter County representatives, building trades leaders and regional tourism authorities — repeatedly told the committee they expect thousands of construction jobs, long-term hospitality and hospitality-sector gains, and broader regional investment.
Supporters described the measure as a model for targeted public-private development with safeguards. Don Popervac, vice chair of the Northwest Indiana Professional Sports Development Commission, said the bill prioritizes "accountability, performance-based incentives and reinvest[ment] in communities that make this work possible." Regional tourism officials told the committee they would market the new venue to spread visitor spending beyond Hammond.
A representative of Americans for Prosperity offered a more cautious note. Graham Renbarger, speaking for the group, said it was neutral on SB 27 and urged the committee to prioritize protections for taxpayers and to ensure elected officials retain key decision authority.
The committee voted to advance the amended bill; the clerk announced "Bill passes out 20 four-zero." After the roll call, the chair thanked members and staff and adjourned the committee.
What’s next: The committee advanced the amended bill out of Ways and Means. The transcript does not record further committee referrals, final enactment language, or an implementation timetable in this session’s hearing.
