Damaged vehicle after a car crash with airbag deployment, May 5, 2025. | Photo: Carleen Johnson / The Center Square
By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Illinois Senate has approved legislation to regulate auto insurance rates, but a former Illinois Department of Insurance director says the proposal will result in higher premiums.
After adding a second amendment to Senate Bill 714 on Wednesday, state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, said his legislation prohibits auto insurance rates from being excessive or discriminatory.
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office expressed support for the bill at a Senate Insurance Committee hearing on Tuesday.
Amy Williams, senior legal advisor at the secretary’s office, said more than 630,000 Illinoisans per year are driving without auto insurance required by law.
“Drivers in Illinois are facing hardships due to increasing automobile insurance rates, and they want oversight to ensure that their rates are not excessive or unfairly discriminatory,” Williams said.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias launched a campaign last summer to prevent insurers from setting rates based on age, credit score or zip code and to allow more state oversight.
“We’re going to treat this like a political campaign,” Giannoulias said at the time.
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