Jones Advances Bill Expanding Coverage for Carjacking Victims

SPRINGFIELD,IL- Keeping insurance companies in check, state Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-South Holland, introduced legislation to require insurance companies provide customers with auto policy coverage if their vehicle was stolen regardless of the context of the incident.

“Insurance companies finding loopholes to deny coverage for their customers is just wrong and unfair,” Jones said. “If your car got stolen, you’d be pretty upset, so I introduced legislation to provide insured car owners some security and accountability to insurers”.

Jones’s House Bill 2842 extends the policies given by auto insurance providers to cover vehicle theft even if there was no evidence of forced break in, if the key was left inside the automobile, or if the vehicle was unlocked. The previous law raised insurance premiums for those affected by vehicle theft that resided in higher auto theft geographic areas.

Jones’s bill broadens the resources and security from auto thefts by coinciding with House Bill 2245, passed into law last year. House Bill 2245 provides a car theft hotline to the manufacturer as well as the local sheriff’s department to ensure proper claims and remedies are put into motion. 

The bill passed out of the Insurance Committee on Wednesday, of which Jones is the chair.