Advocacy

 What you need to know:The New York State Senate and Assembly have adjourned for the year.Several bills that Big I NY opposed, including business interruption coverage mandates and “bad faith" liability were not passed.The legislature will hold joint hearings on COVID-19 between July 28th and August 25th. ​As of July 24th, the NY Senate and Assembly stand adjourned at the call of the Majority Leader and Speaker​, respectively. Unlike in past years, all bills “on third reading," meaning those that have passed the relevant committee(s) and are eligible for a vote by the full house, remain on third reading. Legislative leaders can call legislators back to session…

What you need to know:• State lawmakers return to Albany on Monday for a full week session, which is expected to be the last “regular” session week. • Members of the legislature will reconvene virtually in early August for a series of hearings on issues related to COVID-19. A list of specific issues is not yet available. • Big I NY opposes retroactive business interruption coverage mandates and “bad faith” lawsuit bills. We are monitoring underwriting restrictions based on dog breeds and COVID-19 Workers Compensation proposals. Here are the latest developments:Big I NY Launches Business Interruption Campaign:​This week, we rolled out a statewide grassroots campaign to oppose A.10226-B…

The NYS DMV has issued official guidance on the reopening of DMV offices.  As regions enter phase 3 of reopening, DMV will offer limited in-person transactions in state-run DMV offices by reservation only, prioritizing critical services, and will resume all other road tests at that time. Until then, there will be no in-person transactions in any DMV office and reservations will only become available as regions enter phase 3.  Individual county-run DMVs are advised to follow the state timeline, but this is a recommendation, not a mandate. As of June 1, state-run DMV offices in the counties of Albany, Onondaga, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and the five boroughs of…