Advocacy

​On October 30th, Governor Hochul signed legislation prohibiting insurance carriers from refusing to issue, renew, cancel, or charge a higher premium for a homeowners' liability coverage based upon specific breed of an insured's dog. Big I NY opposed this legislation, expressing concerns that limiting underwriting flexibility would lead higher premiums for all homeowners. The legislation takes effect January 28th, 2022, and applies to all policies issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after that date.  Source

This week, Big I NY was invited to testify in person before the Senate Insurance Committee on legislation to ban the use of lead paint exclusions in rental property liability coverage. We believe that while well-intentioned, this measure would completely destabilize the rental liability coverage market, resulting in a crisis of availability. The hearing will take place beginning at 10:00am on Monday, November 8th, and will be webcast. On Thursday, the Albany County Sheriff's Office filed a criminal complaint against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, charging him with forcibly touching an executive assistant last year, which is a misdemeanor. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said in…

​Big I NY Raises Concerns With NY Privacy Act:This week, Big I NY participated in a roundtable meeting on the New York Privacy Act, hosted by the bill's sponsors, Senator Kevin Thomas (D, Nassau County) and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D, Manhattan). This bill would create sweeping and burdensome data privacy rules, including most significantly a fiduciary duty on entities that handle customer data and private right of action allowing private parties to sue for damages. The bill includes generous incentives to file lawsuits, including allowing for the awarding of attorneys fees, minimum damages, and authorizing class actions.Big I NY has opposed this bill since its…