Advocacy

The Value of Advocacy: Legislative Session Adjourns with Significant Wins for IAsThe New York State Senate and Assembly adjourned for the year on Saturday after a flurry of last-minute activity. Throughout the session, Big I NY's government relations team engaged on dozens of bills, and when the dust settled, the value of our efforts was clear.Both houses of the legislature passed Big I NY-backed changes to supplemental spousal liability insurance, exempting unmarried drivers and commercial coverage from automatic enrollment. These common-sense changes will end the frustration experienced by many customers when the automatic enrollment law went into effect last year. Governor Hochul is expected to…

​Throughout the month of May, approximately 40 independent agents from across the state met with state lawmakers in their districts to call for the passage of pro-consumer legislation to help customers and agencies weather the challenging market. Agents met with 17 lawmakers who were identified as key votes on our bills.In the meetings, agents advocated in support of several important pieces of legislation,​ including bills to eliminate the diligent effort requirement for commercial excess lines coverage, eliminate the NYC anti-arson application, impose stricter penalties for staged construction accidents and staged auto accidents, and combine agent and broker licenses into a single “producer" license. They also…

Big I NY's Photo Inspection Law Now EffectiveOn May 15th, our law to allow carriers to waive CARCO inspections​ went into effect. From now until October 2027, carriers doing business in NY may waive any or all CARCO inspections. Already, many carriers have announced they are waiving inspections, including Safeco, Travelers, Plymouth Rock, National General, and New York Central Mutual. We expect more carriers to follow suit.Big I NY Calls for Lawsuit Lending DivestmentThis week, Big I NY joined groups representing businesses, municipalities, and insurers, in urging the New York State and New York City pension funds to investigate and divest from third party litigation…