Dec 21, 2016

NHID finalizes legislative agenda for 2017 session

The 2017 legislative session is just around the corner, and earlier this month, as PIANH reported, the New Hampshire Insurance Department released its preliminary 2017 legislative agenda for comment. The NHID has now finalized its agenda and there are some significant differences between the preliminary and final products.

The preliminary agenda contained an amendment to the law governing the nonrenewal of homeowners policies based on the filing of a claim. Under current law, an insurer is prohibited from nonrenewing a homeowners policy based on a policyholder having filed a single valid claim. Under the NHID amendment, only valid claims filed within three years of the date of the nonrenewal notice is issued, can be used as the basis for nonrenewal. This amendment has been removed from the NHID final agenda though and will not be considered during the 2017 legislative session.

The NHID also proposed two changes to rules regarding the cancellation of auto policies in its preliminary agenda. First, the NHID proposed removing the ability of an insurer to cancel an auto policy within the first 60 days for any reason. This proposal has been abandoned in the final agenda. However, the second change remains.

The NHID is proposing that an auto policy can now be canceled if the insurer has determined that the insured has falsely attested to the New Hampshire residency form at the time the policy was issued or renewed; or if the insured does not meet the definition of resident adopted by the commissioner. This last item replaces failure to sign the New Hampshire residency form as a valid reason for cancellation.

Continue to watch pia.org and your PIANH publications for more news on the 2017 legislative session.