IL bill could stop insurance companies refusing death insurance for former convicts

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A State House Democrat plan would prohibit life insurance companies from discriminating against Illinoisans with criminal records.

The bill would make it illegal for an insurance company to refuse to pay a former convict's funeral. It would also make it illegal to raise prices based upon a customer's criminal record.

This plan was brought to the committee by State Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) who said these insurance companies should pay for a former convict's funeral regardless of the crime.

"We just want to remove that hardship from the the families and say 'hey it's okay to bury your dead,'" Mayfield said. "You may have committed a felony 20, 30 years ago and now you turn your life around, you can't get life insurance. So it's just basic policy."

The bill passed the House insurance committee on a partisan 10-5 vote. It now heads to the House floor where lawmakers could talk about it in the coming weeks.