ILLINOIS STATE NEWS BRIEF (02/27/2024)

(CHICAGO) Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is in support of proposed legislation that aims to prevent insurance companies from using consumer information, like a person’s race, to set what he said are discriminatory auto insurance rates. During an Illinois House Insurance Committee hearing yesterday, the Secretary of State said an individual’s driving record should serve as the primary factor when setting rates. Another House Bill (4767) that would bring about rate review for auto insurance was also discussed.

(SPRINGFIELD) A new study on the strongest housing markets in the nation includes three cities in Illinois. The report from 24/7 Wall Street recently named the “hottest” housing markets in America for 2024, based on data from the Realtor.com website, ranking areas based on several measures. While the hottest market in the nation is in Rochester, New York, Rockford was Illinois’ top city at #4, followed by Peoria at #15 and Springfield at #25.

(CHICAGO) The City of Chicago filed a motion in court yesterday to stay a Cook County judge’s order that says the “Bring Chicago Home” referendum is illegal. It was late last week that Judge Kathleen Burke ruled the question should be removed from the March 19th primary ballot. A lawsuit was filed last month by a group of landlord associations who claimed the referendum was unconstitutional and violated state law by asking for both a tax cut and a tax hike in the same question. The judge agreed and therefore granted a stay.

(SPRINGFIELD) New legislation was unveiled yesterday that will require some high schools around the state to change their mascots. Sponsored by several upstate lawmakers, the bill says public K-12 schools with names, logos, or mascots containing Native American tribes or culture must change them. The lawmakers point to research that they say shows mascot names like Braves, Indians, and/or Warriors are harmful to Native American children.