Welcome to Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings' Legislative Website

Hastings law cracks down on private influence of law firms

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Michael E. Hastings led the way on a new law to safeguard the professional independence of attorneys and protect clients from undue influence by private equity investors, hedge funds and investor‑backed management services organizations.

“This bill is about one simple truth: Illinois clients deserve attorneys who are loyal to them, not to some distant investor chasing a quarterly return,” said Hastings (D-Frankfort).

While Illinois currently has laws limiting outside influence on law firms, private equity companies have found a new loophole using ‘management service organizations.’ Through MSOs, private equity can control key aspects of a law firm like billing, technology, marketing and administrative staff, enabling the control of firm strategy without technically owning the practice.

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Hastings school safety measure “Alyssa’s Law” signed into law

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Michael E. Hastings is building on previous school safety legislation by passing a law that will provide schools with modern tools to quickly alert first responders in the event of a crisis.

“Illinois must continue to be proactive when it comes to the safety of our children,” said Hastings (D-Frankfort). “I am happy to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle come together to protect our children when we drop them off at school for the day.”

House Bill 5107 will require school districts and private schools to consider the use of a mobile panic alert system in the development of their school emergency and crisis response plans by the beginning of the 2028-2029 school year.

Mobile panic alert systems, sometimes known as Alyssa’s Alert, allow school staff to instantly communicate emergencies to first responders, enabling faster response times and better coordination across agencies. The law will also emphasize compatibility with 911 infrastructure to ensure alerts reach the proper emergency channels without delay.

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Hastings landmark insurance reform signed into law

SPRINGFIELD — Capping off years of advocacy and negotiations, State Senator Michael E. Hastings championed a law that will protect Illinois homeowners from unfair rate hikes similar to those endured in the last few years.

“For too long Illinoisans have been hit with rate increases that far outpace inflation and wage growth,” said Hastings (D-Frankfort). “From just 2021 to 2024, homeowners insurance costs in Illinois surged by nearly 50 percent, adding almost $1,000 a year to a typical family’s expenses.”

House Bill 4273 will prohibit a company selling homeowners insurance from increasing premiums by more than 10% without first notifying the consumer 60 days prior. This will give consumers the necessary time to shop around and find a better rate. Most importantly, the law will prohibit homeowners insurance premiums from being excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory. New standards implemented from the law will be enforced by the Illinois Department of Insurance, with set rules for hearings on newly filed rates.

The law will also ban cost shifting, a practice where losses or high-claim payouts in other states are shifted unfairly onto Illinois homeowners.

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Hastings child support reform continues with modernization of shared parenting law

SPRINGFIELD - Building on the landmark child support reforms he helped lead in 2017, State Senator Michael E. Hastings announced that legislation modernizing Illinois’ child support calculations for shared parenting has been signed into law.

“Families have changed, and our laws must continue to evolve with them,” said Hastings (D-Frankfort). “When we reformed Illinois’ child support system in 2017, our goal was to create a fairer, more balanced approach that better reflected the financial responsibilities of both parents. This new law is the next step in that process.”

Hastings served as the original sponsor of Illinois’ landmark 2017 overhaul of the state’s child support system, which replaced the previous percentage-of-income model with the income shares model. That reform better reflected the financial responsibilities of both parents while prioritizing the best interests of children. The new law builds upon that foundation by recognizing the realities of today’s parenting arrangements and ensuring child support calculations are more equitable for families with substantial shared parenting time.

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