Advocacy

​The legislature is adjourned and not scheduled to reconvene until January 2022. However, two Big I NY-opposed bills were passed by the legislature, and will be sent to the Governor for signature or veto. Big I NY is calling on the Governor to veto both of these bills.Disclosure of Policy Information in Litigation – S.7052/A8041At the 11th hour, the Senate and Assembly rushed through legislation mandating that all insurance documents be disclosed early in litigation, including insurance application documents. We opposed this bill on the grounds that it creates serious privacy concerns for insureds, as insurance applications contain a large amount of personal information that…

On June 24th, Governor Cuomo announced the end of the COVID-19 State of Emergency, thus ending the associated emergency executive orders. This means that for the time being, remote notarization is no longer authorized, and the notary rules revert to the pre-pandemic state. However, the legislature recently passed a Big I NY-supported bill to allow remote notarization on a permanent basis. That bill has not yet been sent to the Governor, and once it is signed as anticipated, it will take effect in 120 days.We do not have an exact timeframe as to when the bill will be sent to the governor and signed, but…

The New York Assembly and Senate adjourned early this morning, dropping the gavel on the 2021 legislative session. Barring a special session, the legislature will not return to Albany until January 2022. This year's session was dominated by challenges and many new dynamics: the pandemic, multiple scandals rocking the Governor, and significant power gains by the Democrats following the 2020 elections, resulting in 2/3rds supermajorities in both houses. Big I NY has your back in Albany, and this year truly underscored the value of a strong defense, with an unprecedented number of harmful bills advancing, and in some cases passing. The passage of the NY…