Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka (left), answered questions about funding for the proposed Bears stadium from Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis. (Photo/Syndey Byerly of The Indiana Citizen)
This story was originally published by TheStatehouseFile.com.
By Arianna Hunt
TheStatehouseFile.com
February 26, 2026
Less than an hour after the Senate adjourned Thursday afternoon, Gov. Mike Braun had already signed Senate Bill 27, which establishes the Northwest Stadium Authority with the purpose of bringing the Chicago Bears to Indiana.
“We made it clear from the beginning that Indiana is open for business,” Gov. Mike Braun said Thursday in a post to the platform X. “ I’m thrilled to sign Senate Bill 27 to create the framework to build a new world-class stadium in Northwest Indiana. Now let’s get this across the goal line.”
The author of the bill, Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, said he had expected some “nasty phone calls.”
“[But] most of the people from Illinois that called me or wrote me and said that ‘it’d actually be easier for us to get to the games in Northwest Indiana than the current stadium or a proposed stadium site in Illinois,’” Mishler said.
The bill returned to the chamber after clearing the Indiana House with amendments. The Senate approved the modified bill with just four nay votes, all Republicans.
Before the vote, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith had one last thing to say.
“Placed on this passage, is this motion to concur on ‘da Bears’” Beckwith said—referencing a Saturday Night Live sketch—which was met with laughter from his lawmaker audience.
The football-themed bill wasn’t the only one the Senate sent to the governor’s desk Thursday.
Sen. Cyndi Carrasco, R-Indianapolis, authored Senate Bill 285 to prohibit long-term camping on public property, which includes sidewalks, overpasses and other land—legislation that critics say criminalizes homelessness.
The bill states that after police issue a warning, the homeless person must move 300 feet away from where the warning was issued or the police officer must remove them within 48 hours, and the violator could face up to a $500 fine.
Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, voiced his concerns about the bill, specifically the language that a homeless person can move 300 feet away from where the warning was issued to avoid charges. Taylor argued this would incentivize the homeless person to simply move when issued a warning and not necessarily seek out help.
“What I think we should be working on is finding a place for the unhoused to be housed. This is a bill that looks for a place for the unhoused to remain unhoused,” Taylor said.
Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, told a story from his own community, where a homeless man froze to death and was buried in an unmarked grave because, despite best efforts, he could not be identified.
“He died alone. But I have to think that if this bill were law, it would have given a caring police officer the tools to help that man and the outcome may have been different.”
With a vote of 28 to 22, the Senate also approved this modified bill returned to it from the House. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk.
Arianna Hunt is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.
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