>> The Chicago Bears will build their next stadium in Hammond, Indiana.

Maybe the team made the announcement Friday after years of negotiations with state lawmakers in Illinois over a deal to build a stadium in Arlington Heights.

And a continued push by some city leaders to stay in Chicago.

In the meantime, Indiana lawmakers quickly approve the incentives Bears leadership have long sought from Illinois.

Illinois leaders say the team's move isn't a done deal.

keep working on stadium bill of their own.

Joining us now with more are Harris junior Democratic State representative in Indiana representing East Chicago and Marc Ganis, president co-founder of Sports business consulting firm Sports Court.

Thank you both for joining us.

Marc Ganis over to you for Last Friday, the Bears announced that they would be, quote, advancing stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana, advancing our Stadium Development project in Hammond have done deal.

Is this to you?

What does that signal?

It's a very for long.

>> If you want us think of it on a continuum, think of it as say 80% of the way there and every month that goes by every week that goes by that probability increases is there.

You know, has there been eye opening for Illinois to kind of get its act together after the state's session ended.

Sure.

And I think that window is still open, but we've seen no activity by the political leadership to actually come together on a single plan that they will commit present to the Bears.

So seems in many ways Illinois leadership has and every day that goes by Hammond becomes more and more of a reality.

>> You say very far along marked, but having not have the bears out already made a pretty significant investment in Arlington Heights is is it that easy for them to get out of that move on?

>> Yeah, it is that, A great piece of dirt they've got, let's say a quarter of a billion dollars into that piece of dirt.

Now after demolishing the racetrack to end doing the environmental testing and all that that that piece of dirt isn't going anywhere.

So that land is going to be valuable.

Whether in whole or in part to developers and other parties for hard to find 300 continuous acres right off a highway in Cook County.

So over the course of time, you'll be able to do well on the land while they build the stadium in Hammond.

>> Representative Harris, you were a co-sponsor of the legislation that was instrumental in convincing the Bears to make the move to Hammond.

Remind us what that legislation did.

>> Yeah, the legislation basically put together the financial structure for how the stadium will be paid for.

So we you know, we had done I authored Sports Commission bill, which was aimed at bringing professional sports.

And so that became the next stage of it.

Once the Bears really got serious and started talking about coming to northwest Indiana.

>> Ok, so Marc Ganis, the stadium, authorities are pretty commonplace among NFL teams.

Are they not?

>> Very much.

So.

It's that it's the standard way that statins are developed Biden's the Celtics.

What do we know about what Illinois officials have said about why they are willing to match the incentives that are offered by Indiana.

Whenever needed actually incentives.

All they needed to do is come up with feasible deal.

>> And they never did that.

You Indiana is putting up a billion dollars going into the stadium.

The Bears never asked for any money from Illinois to go into the stadium.

Indiana's doing the infrastructure.

The Bears asked for infrastructure.

Indiana's providing land the Bears were going to provide the land.

So very different deal.

The Arlington Heights Steel is superior for the taxpayer perspective.

the Illinois never showed up with with a final deal.

They went back and forth for mega projects.

Tillman, which the end, Senator Cunningham Snow was the right one, but they didn't leave themselves any time to do it.

>> Representative Harris, here's how Illinois House Speaker Emanuel, Chris Welch, how he reacted in a statement last Friday.

Quote, While Indiana is willing to raise taxes and promise a billion dollars in taxpayer funds.

Illinois has focused on the needs of working families who want relief at the gas pump at the store and on their insurance bills, not taxpayer funded stadiums.

What do you make of Speaker Welch's characterization of Indiana's efforts?

>> Yeah, there's been this attempt to make it sound like if you live in northwest Indiana in Laker Porter County, you're going to receive a build a tax bill that's going to go to the stadium.

That's not how it works.

That's not what's in the legislation.

There is an in purrs tax.

So that means if you stay at a hotel, there's an increase in that that will go out.

That does not mean local people.

That means people coming from really outside because if you live local, you can stay at a hotel.

There's a food and beverage tax which really equates to one penny per dollar.

So it's very minimal.

And then they'll be tax on a fee on.

If you go to an event, whether it's a Bears game, a concert, MMA, whatever it is.

So it's there's been this attempt to make it sound like if you live Chicago or carrier Hammond over Porter County, you're going to receive a bill.

That's not how this is going to play out.

>> Representative, what have you heard from constituents and voters about this possibility?

>> Lots of excitement.

I mean, people have been asking since we were in session after session.

When is this going to become concrete when, you know, wins the timeline going to be put in place?

There's so much enthusiasm about what this will mean to northwest Indiana in terms of economic development in terms of careers in terms of just enthusiasm about living there.

>> Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was willing to commit taxpayer dollars towards the public infrastructure around a potential stadium in Illinois, but not towards the stadium itself.

Will Indiana taxpayers have to pay for any stadium construction representative?

>> So my understanding is the Bears will provide 2 billion dollars and that's big again.

Some of the false narrative is they're going to get a free stadium.

They're not going to have any involvement, but they will actually contribute a lot to We put together a great plan.

When you look at what Indiana doesn't has done in the past, in reference to the Pacers, reference to the Colts in reference to the speedway.

We do this very well.

And so putting together a great package, a great deal for the Bears was something that we knew how to do.

And I think we did a great job and have provided a great offer and put it on the table for them.

>> 2 billion dollars.

Mark Ghana's, give us a sense of the potential price tag for stadium in Hammond.

>> I think it will cost 3 to 3 and a billion by the time this.

This project has languished for so long and inflation construction is March.

That's my guess is it's going to be 3 to 3 a billion.

The NFL will participate in the financing.

The likely be yes to the seat licenses and which the fans will participate and the rest of the money.

It's coming from the Chicago Bears themselves.

>> Representative Harris, which sites have the Bears expressed interest in.

>> The city of Hammond, Wolf, Lake area has been the main location.

There has been talk of possibly another location in Hammond.

I don't have a concrete place to say where that is.

I do want to add when you look at what we're going to do or what's going to happen, it will be a stadium where football concert that that are obviously with the Bears will play.

There will also be a mixed area.

So you're talking about restaurants are talking about Barr's.

You're talking about business offices.

So when you talk about economic development and also worked for think job creation, it's going to also be a bigger part of that.

What you're really seeing now in the country is less of a stadium being by itself, kind of on and highland, but a lot of around it so people can come hang out, have fun.

Tailgate kind of fun stuff in that area.

>> Marc Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson, he also released a statement on Friday in reaction to this saying, quote, Over the last several years, the Bears have stated their intentions in multiple jurisdictions.

Today's announcement is not surprising without a final site selection until we see shovels in the ground in Hammond to the city of Chicago will continue to engage in discussions grounded in the interest of our residents.

>> The Chicago have a chance keeping the bears here.

>> Bring this is.

This is one of the strangest spins, said that I've heard on this project.

The Bears have said unequivocally that the only 2 sites they're looking at were Hammond and Arlington Heights, a Senate a long time ago.

They presented those 2 sites in the NFL Stadium Committee.

And then somebody passes a rumor that the Bears talk to a lawyer for the Bears.

Talk to a lawyer for the city and talked about coming back to the city and then took off as as reality is truth.

I don't believe that actually happen.

I talk to some of the principle all involved.

I don't believe that happened.

But boy, that was enough to give Chicago legislators us up to to be able to not vote on the Arlington Heights plan.

I think that was the mayor's intention represent very bad governance.

couple seconds left here.

Representative Harris, you know, the Bears have been a little bit around the map on this until recently.

Are you concerned at all that their statement could be smoke and mirrors?

>> I feel good about it.

You know, Mark said 80%.

I agree with him.

I think 80, if not even higher again, we've done a great job in putting something out there for They have been in contact and communication.

So I'm looking forward to the day that we're sitting in Hammond at a stadium after Bears first home game.

>> All right.

Best of luck to