Sec. 143.24c. Hate crimes; coverage refusal.

480 words·~2 min read·/il/chapter-215/act-5/143-24c

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(a)This Section applies to policies of insurance if the insured or proposed insured is

(1)an individual,

(2)a religious organization described in clause

(i)of subparagraph

(A)of paragraph

(1)of subsection

(b)of Section 170 of Title 26 of the United States Code,

(3)an educational organization described in clause

(ii)of subparagraph

(A)of paragraph

(1)of subsection

(b)of Section 170 of Title 26 of the United States Code, or

(4)any other nonprofit organization described in clause

(vi)of subparagraph

(A)of paragraph

(1)of subsection

(b)of Section 170 of Title 26 of the United States Code that is organized and operated for religious, charitable, or educational purposes.

(b)An insurer issuing policies subject to this Section may not cancel, refuse to issue, or refuse to renew the policy solely on the basis that one or more claims have been made against any policy during the preceding 60 months for a loss that is the result of a hate crime committed against the person or property insured if the insured provides evidence to the insurer that the act causing the loss is identified as a hate crime on a police report.

(c)As it relates to this Section, if determined by a law enforcement agency, a "hate crime" may include any of the following:

(1)By force or threat of force, willfully injuring, intimidating, interfering with,

oppressing, or threatening any other person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him or her by the Constitution or laws of this State or by the Constitution or laws of the United States because of the other person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation or because he or she perceives that the other person has one or more of those characteristics. This offense, however, does not include speech alone, except upon a showing that the speech itself threatened violence against a specific person or group of persons and that the defendant had the apparent ability to carry out the threat.

(2)Knowingly defacing, damaging, or destroying the real or personal property of any

other person for the purpose of intimidating or interfering with the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to the other person by the Constitution or laws of this State or by the Constitution or laws of the United States because of the other person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation or because he or she perceives that the other person has one or more of those characteristics.

(d)Nothing in this Section prevents an insurer subject to this Section from taking any of the actions specified in subsection

(b)on the basis of criteria not otherwise made invalid by this Section or any other law or rule.