IndianaSB 27Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026)SenateWALLET

Stadium authority.

Sponsored By: Ryan Mishler (Republican)

Signed by Governor

Summary

Establishes the northwest Indiana stadium authority (stadium authority) for the purpose of acquiring and financing certain facilities. Sets forth the powers and duties of the stadium authority. Establishes the northwest Indiana stadium board (stadium board) for the purpose of financing, constructing, equipping, operating, and maintaining a capital improvement. Specifies the composition of the stadium board and sets forth the powers and duties of the stadium board, including the issuance of bonds and notes to finance a capital improvement. Amends and adds provisions that apply to the Indiana finance authority. Amends provisions in the Lake County and Porter County food and beverage tax chapter. Amends provisions in the Lake County innkeeper's tax chapter. Authorizes the city of Hammond to impose an admissions tax. Requires amounts collected from the city admissions tax to be distributed to the stadium board or its designee. Authorizes a redevelopment commission of the city of Hammond to establish a professional sports development area in the city designated as the northwest Indiana professional sports development area and tax area. Authorizes the city of Hammond to establish a northwest Indiana stadium development district. Specifies the duties and authorities of the district and the uses of the incremental tax revenue captured in the district. Requires the Indiana Sports Corporation, beginning July 1, 2027, to ensure that 20% of the money received by the Indiana Sports Corporation each biennium is used for events supported by the northwest Indiana stadium authority and that not less than 20% (instead of 30%) of the money received by the Indiana Sports Corporation each biennium is used for events that are conducted outside of both Marion County and Lake County. Requires certain projects to be reviewed by the budget committee before the Indiana department of transportation proceed with contract letting.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

28 provisions identified: 8 benefits, 9 costs, 11 mixed.

New district property can get exemptions

The executive or stadium board can grant property tax exemptions inside the stadium development district. Eligible property includes new residential, commercial, or industrial improvements and personal property first placed in service after district designation. No new exemption is allowed after qualifying district-funded bonds are issued while those bonds remain outstanding. Officials can end an exemption by notice, effective on the next assessment date.

Property owners face stadium land takings

The stadium authority can seek to take needed public or private property through condemnation. It must first fail to reach agreement with owners, lessees, or occupants. Before filing, it must adopt a resolution describing the property, its planned use, and the public need.

Hammond can tax event tickets 12%

Hammond can charge a 12% admissions tax at events with seating capacity over 40,000, excluding personal seat licenses. The city must impose the maximum authorized admissions tax before the authority issues bonds for a city project. Adoption by the 15th starts the tax next month; later adoption starts it the month after that. Collectors must remit monthly before the following month's 15th, and pledged receipts pay stadium obligations. The city cannot repeal the tax before obligations and project costs are paid; termination follows on January 1.

Stadium borrowing requires long team commitment

The stadium authority can issue bonds for property, building work, refinancing, and related financing costs. Bonds must mature within 40 years, and issuance requires a written board financing agreement and an approved NFL team lease lasting at least 35 years. Bonds can be backed by rent, insurance proceeds, and other available or pledged funds. A qualifying bank or trust company can oversee pledged revenue, but the trust agreement cannot mortgage land or improvements. The Indiana Finance Authority can also use bond proceeds to buy qualifying capital-improvement obligations.

Stadium bonds offer Indiana tax breaks

Covered bonds and notes, including their interest, are exempt from Indiana taxation as provided by state law. Private trust funds and listed financial institutions can invest in covered stadium revenue bonds. Authority bonds also qualify for listed institutions organized under Indiana law, including banks, insurers, and credit unions. These investment permissions do not guarantee a return.

Lake convention reserve keeps transfer reference

The Lake County convention and event center reserve fund uses the transfer rule as it existed before its 2026 amendment. Gifts, grants, donations, and other public or private contributions remain fund sources. The law states no transfer amount.

New agencies oversee Hammond stadium projects

The law creates a state stadium authority and a separate stadium board to build, finance, and run public facilities. The Indiana Finance Authority provides staff support. The agencies can work with state and local governments on shared projects. Lake County gains two authority board seats after adopting the specified food-and-beverage tax and hotel-tax increase. Porter County gains two seats after adopting its specified food-and-beverage tax; authority members must live in Indiana.

Northern Indiana gains infrastructure funding routes

Qualifying lump-sum agreement payments over $1 million enter a reserve for transportation and infrastructure through December 31, 2029. Eligible changes occur after January 1 and before December 31, 2026, to public-private agreements originally signed before January 1, 2013. The reserve covers Elkhart, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Porter, Steuben, and St. Joseph counties; unused proceeds then return to their otherwise designated fund. Separately, stadium improvement money transfers, subject to trust agreements, to population-based accounts for those counties except Lake. Those transfers cannot exceed qualifying agreement proceeds, including interest, contributed by the Indiana Finance Authority toward a project. Transportation projects costing at least $250 million in one county require budget committee review before contracts are let.

Stadium events receive dedicated funding share

Beginning July 1, 2027, the Indiana Sports Corporation must dedicate 20% of its receipts each two-year period to authority-supported events. That share cannot count toward the separate minimum for events outside Marion and Lake counties.

Hammond gets guaranteed district tax share

The district plan must reserve at least 12% of its yearly property tax growth revenue for Hammond. By August 1 each year, the district board must transfer that share to the city's general fund. The transfer does not reduce the city's actual or maximum allowed property tax levy. It is also excluded from the calculation of the city's maximum levy limit.

Stadium public assets receive tax exemptions

Authority-owned or leased property, authority revenue, and covered authority bond interests and proceeds receive Indiana tax exemptions. The financial institutions tax remains applicable. A bondholder's sale proceeds are exempt only up to the holder's acquisition cost. Property owned by, leased to, or leased by the stadium board is exempt from Indiana taxes and special assessments. The board's income and revenue are also exempt.

District owners face assessment review changes

The county assessor must reassess taxable district property when the stadium board requests it. New assessments take effect on the next assessment date; the law does not set whether values rise or fall. Taxpayers can also sign an optional written agreement giving up review of assessments on their property in the allocation area. That waiver covers assessment dates during specified bond or lease obligations funded partly or fully by area property taxes.

County diners face possible stadium tax

Lake and Porter counties can each adopt a 1% food and beverage tax by June 30, 2027. It applies to covered sales, excluding specified taxes, after the last day of the month following adoption. Repeal requires repayment of covered board and pledged obligations and Budget Committee review of certification that project costs are paid. The tax automatically ends January 1 after the year of the final applicable board payment.

County meal taxes support stadium debt

Lake and Porter counties can adopt a 1% food-and-beverage tax by June 30, 2027. Covered receipts flow monthly through the state to the stadium board while its authority or state-agency obligations remain. Project costs now include stadium facilities, infrastructure, land purchases, and repayment of state spending. Adopted taxes cannot be rescinded while obligations remain and end January 1 after final payment. The legislature also cannot reduce or harm pledged tax collections while covered debt remains unpaid.

Lake County can raise hotel taxes

Lake County can raise its hotel tax by up to an additional 5% through an ordinance adopted by June 30, 2027. Receipts go monthly to the stadium board or its designee while covered obligations remain. Repeal requires repayment of covered obligations and Budget Committee review of certification that all project costs are paid. The tax ends January 1 after the year of the final applicable board payment.

Sports area businesses file more reports

Taxpayers operating in the sports tax area must report tax, pay, and withholding information each month. Businesses filing combined returns must also submit monthly information for each location inside the area. Food-and-beverage tax collectors with properties inside and elsewhere in the county must file separate returns for their inside properties. These reporting rules do not change tax rates.

Smaller funding guarantee for outlying sports

Beginning July 1, 2027, the Indiana Sports Corporation's minimum event-funding share outside Marion and Lake counties falls from 30% to 20%. This minimum applies to money received each two-year period. Separate funding for events supported by the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority cannot count toward the minimum.

District businesses must file tax reports

District businesses must report tax information yearly, including a separate location report when filing a combined return. Missing information allows the state to estimate tax growth using the best available information. Contractors must keep records and report project tax and exemption certificate details by July 31 each year. Contractors can use exemption certificates for materials incorporated into real property, but still owe applicable sales or use tax. Time-and-materials contracts carry sales tax duties; lump-sum contracts require contractors to calculate and remit use tax.

Hammond can tax major event tickets

Hammond can adopt a generally 12% admissions tax at facilities with more than 40,000 seats. It covers public-event tickets sold through the box office or an authorized agent. Personal seat license transactions are exempt from this tax and Indiana sales and use taxes. Repeal requires repayment of covered obligations and project costs, and takes effect the next January 1. The tax automatically ends January 1 after the year of the final covered payment.

Stadium officials gain legal cost protections

Authority members, officers, and employees are shielded from personal liability for authorized acts involving bonds, leases, and other agreements. The stadium board can defend current or former personnel and cover related liability, damages, and legal fees. Before providing that help, the board must find by resolution that the conduct was in good faith.

Stadium borrowing carries long repayment terms

The stadium board can issue revenue bonds or arrange city general obligation bonds lasting up to 40 years. City bonds require approval from both the city council and executive; revenue bonds rely only on pledged money. The board can also issue notes lasting up to 10 years against expected funds, without a public offering. Bond proceeds are limited to capital project costs and refinancing, including sites, reserves, and construction interest. A separate $1 billion aggregate cap applies to bonds under the specified district-driven financing provisions, which require budget committee review.

Stadium contracts gain bidding flexibility

Stadium procurement generally follows county rules, with direct work allowed for projects costing $50,000 or less or during emergencies. Certain projects require competitive bids above $10,000, and projects over $200,000 require bid, performance, and payment bonds. With one responsible bidder, the board can negotiate instead of rebidding when rebidding is impractical, disadvantageous, or harms the schedule or budget. The board must keep required bid and contract records, subject to the stated proprietary-information exclusion. Agencies assigned to review public-building plans must approve authority-built improvements covered by construction leases.

Stadium revenues flow into repayment funds

The board must maintain improvement and bond funds, including debt-payment and reserve accounts. Operating income enters the improvement fund; specified taxes support the bond fund when secured debt remains outstanding. Improvement money can pay operations, capital costs, and authorized debt without a separate appropriation. For qualifying tax-backed leases, the budget director can select a revenue-handling designee under an agreement. After old bonds are legally secured for repayment in a sale-and-leaseback arrangement, related money can support leases, reserves, or authority bonds.

State facilities gain stadium leasing options

The authority can lease facilities to state agencies, which can sublease them to the stadium board. It can buy an existing agency facility and lease it back until a new improvement replaces it. Public officials can transfer state-titled property to the authority without payment or bidding to support qualifying leases. New-facility use payments cannot start before occupancy is available; agencies must leave when funding is unavailable or terms are unjust. Rent on the temporary existing facility does not count as state debt under Indiana's Constitution.

Local taxes can cover stadium rent

Stadium rent can use Hammond admissions taxes, portions of Lake and Porter county and Hammond food taxes, and Lake County hotel taxes. Captured district revenue and other board funds also qualify, and the authority can receive payments for the board. Leases last at most 40 years; new-work rent starts only when ready for occupancy, with board operating revenue preserved. The board must find rent fair, receive a purchase option priced to repay outstanding debt, and obtain authority approval for NFL team leases and amendments; ongoing operations and maintenance remain outside the authority's responsibility. The board can sell or lease property to the authority and lease it back; refinancing sales must cover refunding costs, and nominal-rent refinancing leases require the authority to assume and refund existing bonds.

Hammond redirects tax growth toward development

Hammond can create one stadium development district outside the sports area for up to 35 years after budget committee review. Growth above set property, income, and retail tax bases goes to its fund for facilities, land, recruitment, incentives, and debt. State tax transfers arrive by November 1, starting no earlier than January 1 after the base-setting year. By August 1 each year, at least 12% of the fund's annual property tax growth goes to Hammond's general fund. District plans and annual financial reports are required, and the district cannot overlap innovation or transit development districts.

Property tax growth funds stadium district

The stadium district receives property tax revenue above its base; local taxing units keep revenue up to the lower of current or base value. This split starts no earlier than January 1 of the year after the base is set. Local tax and budget calculations also use the lower value, while state base adjustments offset reassessments and annual valuation changes. When the district includes an existing allocation area, new debts backed by that area's future property tax growth require city and board consent. These rules fund district projects but redirect tax growth from other local uses.

Sports area taxes fund stadium costs

Hammond can establish a sports tax area by July 1, 2027, with state approval after budget committee review. Private investment must cover at least 50% of construction costs or 50% of annual debt or lease payments until payoff. Covered sales, income, and food-and-beverage taxes, including qualifying athlete pay taxes, fund eligible stadium costs through monthly distributions. Tax collection cannot start until after the earlier of June 30, 2027, or completion of all statutory conditions. The area ends within 40 years of its first covered obligation and cannot overlap the listed development or transit districts.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Ryan Mishler

    Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

  • Alex Burton

    Democratic • House

  • Alex Zimmerman

    Republican • House

  • Beau Baird

    Republican • House

  • Ben Smaltz

    Republican • House

  • Blake Johnson

    Democratic • House

  • Brad Barrett

    Republican • House

  • Bruce Borders

    Republican • House

  • Carey Hamilton

    Democratic • House

  • Carolyn Jackson

    Democratic • House

  • Cherrish Pryor

    Democratic • House

  • Chris Campbell

    Democratic • House

  • Chris Judy

    Republican • House

  • Chuck Moseley

    Democratic • House

  • Cindy Ledbetter

    Republican • House

  • Cory Criswell

    Republican • House

  • Craig Haggard

    Republican • House

  • Craig Snow

    Republican • House

  • Dale DeVon

    Republican • House

  • Dan Dernulc

    Republican • Senate

  • Danny Lopez

    Republican • House

  • Dave Heine

    Republican • House

  • David Abbott

    Republican • House

  • Doug Miller

    Republican • House

  • Earl Harris

    Democratic • House

  • Ed Charbonneau

    Republican • Senate

  • Edmond Soliday

    Republican • House

  • Elizabeth Rowray

    Republican • House

  • Ethan Manning

    Republican • House

  • Gregory Porter

    Democratic • House

  • Gregory Steuerwald

    Republican • House

  • Harold Slager

    Republican • House

  • Heath VanNatter

    Republican • House

  • Hunter Smith

    Republican • House

  • Jack Jordan

    Republican • House

  • Jake Teshka

    Republican • House

  • James Buck

    Republican • Senate

  • Jeffrey Thompson

    Republican • House

  • Jim Pressel

    Republican • House

  • Joanna King

    Republican • House

  • John Bartlett

    Democratic • House

  • Julie McGuire

    Republican • House

  • Julie Olthoff

    Republican • House

  • Karen Engleman

    Republican • House

  • Kendell Culp

    Republican • House

  • Kyle Miller

    Democratic • House

  • Kyle Pierce

    Republican • House

  • Linda Rogers

    Republican • Senate

  • Lonnie Randolph

    Democratic • Senate

  • Lori Goss-Reaves

    Republican • House

  • Mark Genda

    Republican • House

  • Mark Spencer

    Democratic • Senate

  • Martin Carbaugh

    Republican • House

  • Matt Commons

    Republican • House

  • Matt Hostettler

    Republican • House

  • Matt Lehman

    Republican • House

  • Michael Karickhoff

    Republican • House

  • Michelle Davis

    Republican • House

  • Mike Andrade

    Democratic • House

  • Mike Aylesworth

    Republican • House

  • Mike Bohacek

    Republican • Senate

  • Randy Novak

    Democratic • House

  • Renee Pack

    Democratic • House

  • Rick Niemeyer

    Republican • Senate

  • Robert Behning

    Republican • House

  • Robert Heaton

    Republican • House

  • Robert Morris

    Republican • House

  • Robin Shackleford

    Democratic • House

  • Rodney Pol

    Democratic • Senate

  • Rodric Bray

    Republican • Senate

  • Ryan Lauer

    Republican • House

  • Sue Errington

    Democratic • House

  • Tim Yocum

    Republican • House

  • Timothy O'Brien

    Republican • House

  • Todd Huston

    Republican • House

  • Tony Isa

    Republican • House

  • Tonya Pfaff

    Democratic • House

  • Vanessa Summers

    Democratic • House

  • Vernon Smith

    Democratic • House

  • Victoria Garcia Wilburn

    Democratic • House

  • Wendy McNamara

    Republican • House

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 186 • No: 10

Senate vote • 2/26/2026

Senate concurred with House amendments

Yes: 45 • No: 4

House vote • 2/24/2026

Third reading: passed

Yes: 95 • No: 4

Senate vote • 1/28/2026

Third reading: passed

Yes: 46 • No: 2

Actions Timeline

  1. Senator Bray added as coauthor

    2/26/2026Senate
  2. Signed by the Speaker

    2/26/2026House
  3. Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 298: yeas 45, nays 4

    2/26/2026Senate
  4. Public Law 44

    2/26/2026Senate
  5. Signed by the President of the Senate

    2/26/2026Senate
  6. Signed by the Governor

    2/26/2026Senate
  7. Signed by the President Pro Tempore

    2/26/2026Senate
  8. Motion to concur filed

    2/25/2026Senate
  9. Senator Garten removed as second author

    2/25/2026Senate
  10. Returned to the Senate with amendments

    2/25/2026House
  11. Senator Bohacek added as coauthor

    2/25/2026Senate
  12. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 338: yeas 95, nays 4

    2/24/2026House
  13. Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed

    2/23/2026House
  14. Rule 104.1 suspended

    2/23/2026House
  15. Representative Judy added as cosponsor

    2/23/2026House
  16. Amendment #1 (Thompson) prevailed; voice vote

    2/23/2026House
  17. Rule 104.1 suspended

    2/19/2026House
  18. Representative Garcia Wilburn added as cosponsor

    2/19/2026House
  19. Rule 104.1 suspended

    2/19/2026House
  20. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

    2/19/2026House
  21. Representatives Jordan, Abbott, Andrade, Aylesworth, Baird, Barrett, Bartlett, Behning, Borders, Burton, Campbell, Carbaugh, Commons, Criswell, Culp, Davis, DeVon, Engleman, Errington, Genda, Goss-Reaves, Haggard, Hamilton, Heaton, Heine, Hostettler, Isa, Jackson C, Johnson B, Karickhoff, King, Lauer, Ledbetter, Lehman, Lopez, Manning, McGuire, McNamara, Miller D, Miller K, Moseley, Morris, Novak R, O'Brien, Olthoff, Pack R, Pfaff, Pierce K, Porter, Pressel, Pryor, Rowray, Shackleford, Slager, Smaltz, Smith H, Smith V, Soliday, Steuerwald, Teshka, VanNatter, Yocum, Zimmerman, Summers added as cosponsors

    2/19/2026House
  22. Representatives Snow, Harris added as cosponsors

    2/9/2026House
  23. Representatives Snow, Jordan, Harris removed as cosponsors

    2/5/2026House
  24. Representative Thompson removed as sponsor

    2/5/2026House
  25. Representative Thompson added as cosponsor

    2/5/2026House

Bill Text

  • Engrossed Senate Bill (S)

  • Enrolled Senate Bill (S)

  • Introduced Senate Bill (S)

  • Senate Bill (H)

  • Senate Bill (S)

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