The Chicago Bears’ consideration of a move to Indiana escalated Thursday as Hoosier lawmakers advanced legislation laying the groundwork to build a new domed stadium across the state line.
Meanwhile, Capitol News Illinois reports an Illinois House committee that had been scheduled to hear long-stalled legislation aimed at assisting the Bears’ effort to build that stadium in suburban Arlington Heights was abruptly canceled Thursday morning.
An Indiana House committee unanimously passed a bill which would create a public stadium authority to build and operate a stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond, which straddles the Illinois-Indiana state line.
The Bears released a statement praising Indiana lawmakers, calling the bill’s progress “the most significant step forward in stadium planning efforts to date.” The team’s statement fell short of a firm commitment to move across the state line, but caught Illinois elected officials off guard.
Governor JB Pritzker said he was “very disappointed” that the Bears’ statement did not “say anything about the advancement that’s been made in the state of Illinois.”
