LANSING — With no hearings or public input, Republicans rushed through House Bill 4397 today, providing a giveaway to insurance companies in the form of loopholes to avoid guaranteed lower rates or an end to discriminatory rate setting practices. Michigan’s auto insurance industry is one of the least regulated in the U.S. with Michigan drivers paying nearly two times more than drivers anywhere else in the nation, according to a University of Michigan study. In response, state Rep. Kara Hope (D-Holt) issued the following statement:
“Families in my community deserve real rate relief, and this bill falls far short of guaranteeing that. This proposal does nothing to fix the persisting issues that plague our auto insurance system, and fails to close up important loopholes insurance companies will use to maintain the status-quo. The people of Michigan deserve a well thought out plan that takes their input into account, and tonight my Republican colleagues denied them that.”
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