Independent Agents Advocacy Day
Tuesday, March 3, 2020 | Albany, NY

On March 3, we made our voices heard in Albany!

Big I NY members from Buffalo to Long Island traveled to Albany to urge lawmakers to take action on a number of key issues affecting IAs and our customers.

Delegations from nearly all of our local associations, including many members of the Group of 100, kicked off the day with a briefing session before departing for meetings with state lawmakers representing their region. Members urged lawmakers to reject a significant expansion of the Department of Financial Services' authority to prosecute unfair, deceptive, and abusive business practices, as well as a dramatic and unwarranted increase in insurance law fines and penalties.

Big I NY agents also called for the passage of bills to raise the payroll threshold for the Workplace Safety and Loss Prevention Program (Insurance Code Rule 59), eliminate the 30-day notice requirement for withdrawing from the State Insurance Fund, reform the auto photo inspection requirement (Insurance Regulation 79), and protect consumers from surprise premium increases by requiring insurers to run an applicant's motor vehicle record prior to binding auto coverage. Agents urged lawmakers to oppose legislation to ban the use of lead paint exposure exclusions in rental property coverage.

Member agents stressed the importance of these proposals to protecting consumers and ensuring the availability and affordability of insurance coverage. All told, we met with over 50 lawmakers, including Senate and Assembly leadership, minority leaders, and the Chairman of the Assembly Insurance Committee.

Thank you to all who attended this empowering day! We look forward to seeing you again next year.

Together we make a difference. Together we are Big I New York.

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