Plot Twist: Bears Take Serious Step Toward Indiana

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**Sasha-Ann Simons** (1:00)
Hey Chicago, I'm Sasha-Ann Simons, and this is In the Loop.
Make sure you stick around for a breakdown of the day's top stories in the Chicago area at the end of this episode. But first, if you're having trouble keeping up with the Chicago Bears' stadium story, join the club. In just a matter of days, a plan to help bring the team to Arlington Heights, unraveled in Springfield. City and state leaders pointed fingers. And now, the Bears Board of Directors says it's moving ahead with stadium development plans in Hammond, Indiana. So where do things actually stand? Is Indiana becoming the Bears' future home, or is this part of a larger strategy to revive talks in Illinois? In this episode of the pod, we're going to dig in with a panel of experts. We'll start with Earl Harris, Jr., Democratic Indiana State Representative of the Second District. He joined us from his home in East Chicago, Indiana.
First, I asked him what impact he sees for his state if the Bears move to Hammond. Here's Representative Harris.

**Earl Harris, Jr.** (2:04)
This is going to be great for Hammond. Obviously, Mayor McDermott is excited. Northwest Indiana and Indiana as a whole, for what it will bring in terms of economic development to the area. It's a continued growth following things like what we've done with casinos, Hard Rock, the trains, the Convention Center. Bringing economic development, bringing job opportunities, bringing career opportunities, making it so that young people can look at staying home and not going away for careers.
The Bears coming is another magnet for other business opportunities and other sports teams to come to the area.

**Sasha-Ann Simons** (2:39)
What are you hearing generally from Indiana residents? Are they just as hopeful as local leaders or are you hearing some concerns?

**Earl Harris, Jr.** (2:47)
Even before the announcement that just came out from the Bears, people were asking, hey, when are they coming? When are we going to know more? When, when, when, when, when? There's a lot of excitement going on in terms of people knowing what it's going to mean for growth and for the continued great life. We live here in Northwest Indiana.

**Sasha-Ann Simons** (3:07)
Are there concerns about that potential that, you know, if this move does happen, residents would have to pay higher taxes?

**Earl Harris, Jr.** (3:14)
You know, it's interesting because there's some and not accurate information out there. When you talk about the funding of the stadium, one of the myths is the Bears are going to receive a free stadium. That's not accurate. They're going to pay $2 billion. That's B, as in billion. And when you look at funding that's also going to come related to Indiana, it will come not as mandatory taxes, but it'll be things like the ends keepers tax. So if you stay at a hotel here in Northwest Indiana area, you know, we're looking at a increase in that. That's going to be money from people that do not live here. It's not local people that usually stay at hotels. When you look at the ends keepers, I'm sorry, the food and beverage tax, that's going to equate to one penny per every dollar you spend. So again, very minimal.
And then there'll be a tax on a fee for ticket prices. So when you attend a Bears game, a concert, MMA fighting, monster truck, whatever it is you attend, there will be an additional fee onto that. So it's not a mandatory you live here or your property or whatever is going to be automatically taxed. It comes from you actively doing something and participating in the process for you to have to pay any.

**Sasha-Ann Simons** (4:28)
The food and beverage tax that you just mentioned, it hasn't passed yet in Lake and Porter County. So are you relying on money that you essentially don't have?

**Earl Harris, Jr.** (4:38)
That's been part of it. So we've had conversations with Lake and Porter County. That's been going on for quite a while. Even during session, we had a day where Speaker Houston came up after we finished session on Thursday and had meetings with Lake and Porter County officials to talk about this. Even recently, I know I've had some conversation, I'm sure the Speaker has and others have had conversation. So it didn't make sense for Lake and Porter to do anything until we get to the point where it's 100 percent locked in.