Large taxpayer costs coming to Indiana or Illinois for new Bears stadium

(The Center Square) – Lawmakers in both Indiana and Illinois continue to jockey for position as the Chicago Bears request a large amount of taxpayer funds from each to build a new stadium and development to move from their current home at Soldier Field, where the city of Chicago still owes around $500 million for funding a 2003 renovation.

Indiana’s Senate is expected to discuss Senate Bill 27 to fund a stadium in Hammond on Thursday. If approved, that bill would head to Gov. Mike Braun, who has emphatically indicated he will sign the agreement.

Both proposals represent a growing public taxpayer cost to stadiums and developments seen as the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills have come to stadium agreements with local, state and even the federal government.

The Commanders are estimated by University of Colorado Denver Associate Professor Geoffrey Propheter to have received $7 billion in public taxpayer benefit...