A bill assigned to the Illinois Senate Insurance Committee would protect the rights of dog owners in the state by preventing insurance companies from canceling, refusing, or imposing an increased premium on policies based on a specific breed of dog.
Illinois dog owners are encouraged to contact the Illinois Senate Insurance Committee and ask them to support Senate Bill 2462. If you are a constituent, be sure to mention that when contacting the committee.
Summary:
Senate Bill 2462 prohibits insurers from refusing to issue, renew or cancel or raise premiums for liability in homeowner or rental property based on a specific breed of dog kept on the property. The bill does allow for insurance companies to take these actions if the dog has been declared vicious based on current law.
Illinois state law already expressly prohibits municipalities from passing laws that target specific breeds of dogs. AKC supports SB 2462, which would extend these protections to insurance policyholders, while still holding all dog owners accountable, regardless of the breed they choose to own.
Visit the Breed-Specific/Dangerous Dog Laws page in the AKC Legislative Action Center for more talking points on this issue.
What You Can Do:
The Senate Insurance Committee is tentatively scheduled to consider the bill on Wednesday, February 5, but AKC understands that this may be postponed. It is important for the committee to see the number of Illinois residents who support this bill.
We encourage Illinois residents to submit an online witness slip and register your support– Comments may be submitted directly to the committee by completing an online witness slip at this link. Select SB 2462 from the list and follow the online steps.
AKC Government Relations will continue to closely follow this bill. For questions or more information, contact the AKC GR at (919) 816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org