Pritzker vs. Insurance Companies, Part Two
Gov. JB Pritzker speaks on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal Tuesday. (Photo: Bloomington Pantagraph)
While Governor JB Pritzker has yet to lay out a 2026 legislative agenda, he gave a less than subtle hint Tuesday that homeowners insurance providers, including Bloomington-based State Farm, remain in his sights.
Pritzker, along with House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, supported legislation last year to regulate homeowners insurance rates after State Farm announced it was raising rates for more than a million Illinois policyholders an average of 27%, but by as much as 40%.
Pritzker accused State Farm of raising insurance rates to pay for disasters in other states, a claim the company has denied.
Legislation to force companies to use Illinois-specific data for rate determination and created a review window by state regulators passed the Senate in the final days of the fall veto session, but fell short of passage in the House.
At a groundbreaking event on the Illinois State University campus in Normal Tuesday, Pritzker told reporters he’s likely to revive the push to regulate insurers.
“I’m in favor of us making sure that we get the transparency that we should have and have the ability to discuss with the insurance company why their rates are so high,” Pritzker said.
It’s a rare instance in which Pritzker is targeting a top Illinois industry, and top employer, like State Farm or Northbrook-based Allstate.
“The idea that your homeowner’s insurance in one single year is going to go up 27% is a bit outrageous,” he said. “The reaction that I have, and I think that many members of the General Assembly have, is that that’s not fair.”
Pritzker did not elaborate on what changes he would support from the legislation that failed to advance last year.
