Lawmakers in Helena are considering a bill that would force insurance companies to set auto insurance rates based off an individual's driving record, rather than using personal characteristics like online shopping habits and education.
Democratic Rep. Tom Jacobson is the sponsor of House Bill 291.
"This has nothing to do with your risk as a driver, it has how much they can take out of your pocket book," Jacobson said.
State Farm Insurance lobbyist Gregory Van Horssen opposes the bill.
"State Farm opposes 291 because it removes from the insurance company the opportunity to utilize very important and predictive tools to allow them to accurately price our insurance product," Van Horssen said.
Thursday was the House Business and Labor Committee's first hearing of the bill.
Freddy Monares is a reporter with the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation.
