Myriad insurance proposals introduced in N.Y. Legislature

February 12, 2013

Superstorm Sandy has come and gone and public policymakers have convened numerous hearings on the shortfalls that Sandy exposed. Now the wave of insurance-related legislation is starting to hit with a number of significant introductions in both the state Senate and Assembly this week.  Among the bills appearing as recent introductions with insurance implications:

• A.1307 (Zebrowski) -- Expands the description of unfair insurance claim settlement practices.
• A.4376 (Englebright) -- Authorizes local governments to adopt building code standards which are more stringent than the state building and fire code without approval of the council.
• A.4384 (Peoples-Stokes) -- Establishes environmental standards and protections in the insurance business, and provides incentives and tax credits for offering green insurance.
• A.4390 (Perry) -- Requires proof of liability insurance prior to issuing a license to carry a firearm.
• A.4404/S.3526 (Thiele/ LaValle) -- Provides a wind speed limit of 109 miles per hour for light frame wood construction in the counties of Nassau and Suffolk.
• A.4597 (Pretlow) -- Criminalizes acting as a runner or soliciting or employing a runner to procure patients or clients.
• S.3372 (Addabbo) -- Requires six month notice when canceling the insurance policy of any small business.
• S.3413 (Carlucci) -- Establishes standards for the prompt investigation and settlement of claims arising out of states of emergency and disasters.
• S.3548 (Seward) -- Relates to the duties of excess line brokers in selecting unauthorized insurers to provide that where a quote for coverage from an authorized insurer exceeds by 25 percent or more a quote for comparable coverage from the excess line market, the licensed insurer quote may be regarded as a declination from the authorized insurer.

Rest assured that PIANY is constantly monitoring the introduction and movement of these and hundreds more legislative proposals that have the potential to impact our agency members. Watch the PIANY website and publications for continuous updates throughout the 2013 legislative session.