Chicago City Wire

Will Guzzardi introduced HB1252 in the Illinois House on Jan. 10, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Motor Vehicle Insurance Fairness Act. Provides that no insurer shall refuse to issue or renew a policy of automobile insurance based in whole or in part on specified prohibited underwriting or rating factors. Sets forth factors that are prohibited with respect to underwriting and rating a policy of automobile insurance. Sets forth provisions concerning the use of territorial factors. Provides that every insurer selling a policy of automobile insurance in the State shall demonstrate that its marketing, underwriting, rating, claims handling, fraud investigations, and any algorithm or model used for those business practices do not disparately impact any group of customers based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, or gender expression. Provides that no rate shall be approved or remain in effect that is excessive, inadequate, unfairly discriminatory, or otherwise in violation of the provisions. Provides that every insurer that desires to change any rate shall file a complete rate application with the Director of Insurance. Provides that all information provided to the Director under the provisions shall be available for public inspection. Provides that any person may initiate or intervene in any proceeding permitted or established under the provisions and challenge any action of the Director under the provisions. Provides that the Department of Insurance shall adopt rules. Provides that all insurers subject to the provisions shall be assessed a fee of 0.05% of their total earned premium from the prior calendar year, and that the fee shall be payable to the Department no later than July 1 of each calendar year and shall be used by the Department to implement the provisions."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill, known as the Motor Vehicle Insurance Fairness Act, aims to amend the Illinois Insurance Code by prohibiting insurers from refusing to issue or renew automobile insurance policies based on certain factors such as sex, race, age, and zip code. It mandates insurers to ensure that their business practices do not disparately impact customers based on race, color, national origin, and other protected categories. The bill requires prior approval for rate changes and mandates public accessibility to all rate-related information. It allows public participation in proceedings and provides for the awarding of advocacy fees. The bill requires the Department of Insurance to adopt relevant rules and implements a 0.05% fee on insurers’ total earned premiums to fund its provisions. The effective date of this act is unspecified. All fees are payable to the Department by July 1 each year.

Will Guzzardi has proposed another four bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Guzzardi graduated from Brown University in 2009 with a BA.

Will Guzzardi is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 39th House District. He replaced previous state representative Maria Antonia Berrios in 2015.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB1252	01/10/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Motor Vehicle Insurance Fairness Act. Provides that no insurer shall refuse to issue or renew a policy of automobile insurance based in whole or in part on specified prohibited underwriting or rating factors. Sets forth factors that are prohibited with respect to underwriting and rating a policy of automobile insurance. Sets forth provisions concerning the use of territorial factors. Provides that every insurer selling a policy of automobile insurance in the State shall demonstrate that its marketing, underwriting, rating, claims handling, fraud investigations, and any algorithm or model used for those business practices do not disparately impact any group of customers based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, or gender expression. Provides that no rate shall be approved or remain in effect that is excessive, inadequate, unfairly discriminatory, or otherwise in violation of the provisions. Provides that every insurer that desires to change any rate shall file a complete rate application with the Director of Insurance. Provides that all information provided to the Director under the provisions shall be available for public inspection. Provides that any person may initiate or intervene in any proceeding permitted or established under the provisions and challenge any action of the Director under the provisions. Provides that the Department of Insurance shall adopt rules. Provides that all insurers subject to the provisions shall be assessed a fee of 0.05% of their total earned premium from the prior calendar year, and that the fee shall be payable to the Department no later than July 1 of each calendar year and shall be used by the Department to implement the provisions.
HB1245	01/10/2025	Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Prisoner Review Board shall place no additional restrictions, limitations, or requirements than that provided by the statute creating the procedure for medical release. Provides that upon a determination that the petitioner is eligible for a hearing on medical release, the Prisoner Review Board shall: (1) provide public notice of the petitioner's name, docket number, counsel, and hearing date; and (2) provide a copy of the evaluation and any medical records provided by the Department of Corrections to the petitioner or the petitioner's attorney upon scheduling the institutional hearing. Provides that a hearing on a petitioner's application for medical release is public unless the petitioner requests a non-public hearing. Provides that members of the public shall be permitted to freely attend public hearings on medical release without restriction. Provides that upon denying an eligible petitioner's application for medical release, the Prisoner Review Board shall publish a decision letter outlining the reason for denial. Provides that the decision letter must include an explanation of each statutory factor and the estimated annual cost of the petitioner's continued incarceration, including the petitioner's medical care. Makes technical changes.
HB1154	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that a plaintiff may be awarded all forms of relief available in tort actions, including but not be limited to, emotional distress, pain and suffering, and loss of a normal life. Provides that a plaintiff may also be awarded punitive damages.
HB1155	01/09/2025	Amends the University of Illinois Act. Provides that the Board of Trustees shall direct the University of Illinois System, in addition to the Office of Investments and external investment managers, to not invest the assets of any endowment fund in the stocks, securities, or other obligations of any fossil fuel company or any subsidiary, affiliate, or parent of any fossil fuel company. Provides that this does not preclude the de minimis exposure of any funds held by the endowment fund to the stocks, securities, or other obligations of any fossil fuel company or any subsidiary, affiliate, or parent of any fossil fuel company. Requires the Board of Trustees to direct the University of Illinois System, in addition to the Office of Investments and external investment managers, to not invest in any prime commercial paper or corporate bonds issued by a fossil fuel company. Provides that, beginning one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Board of Trustees, subject to an affirmative determination of prudence and in accordance with sound investment criteria and consistent with its fiduciary obligations, shall direct the University of Illinois System to ensure that any endowment fund does not have any indirect investments; defines "indirect investment". Provides that the Board of Trustees shall direct the University of Illinois System, in addition to the Office of Investments and external investment managers, to adopt updates to its written investment policies, if necessary, to meet the requirements of these provisions and publish a copy of those updated policies within 90 days after the adoption of the updated policies. Effective immediately.
HB1156	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Pesticide Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall produce ethanol using seeds that have been treated with a pesticide.