May 11, 2016

PIANY members meet legislators at Capitol to discuss insurance issues during Albany Lobby Day

ALBANY, N.Y.—Professional Insurance Agents of New York State Inc. members met with their legislators at their Albany offices during the association’s Albany Lobby Day, May 10, 2016. The PIANY members included: PIANY President Gene Sandy, CIC; PIANY President-elect John Parsons II, CIC, CPIA, AAI; PIANY Director Anthony Kammas; and PIANY past President Richard A. Savino, CIC, CPIA. They discussed the association’s 2016 legislative priorities, which include: standardizing hurricane deductible triggers; reforms to the New York State Insurance Fund; and continuing-education credits requirements for insurance producers.

The PIANY members met with Sen. Neil D. Breslin, D-44, ranking minority member of the Senate Insurance Committee; Sen. Todd Kaminsky, D-9; Sen. James L. Seward, R-51, chair of the Senate Insurance Committee; Assemblyman Will Barclay, R-120; Assemblyman Kevin A. Cahill, D-103, chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee; and Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski, D-96.

"The day offered a great opportunity to thank our elected officials for sponsoring legislation, A.7537-A/S.253, which would standardize the deductible triggers for coastal homeowners policies," said Sandy. "PIANY is grateful to the senators and assemblymen for taking the time to discuss these issues that are important to professional, independent insurance agents and the insurance-buying public across the state."

Additionally, the PIANY members asked their representatives to pass legislation recently reported by the Senate Labor Committee S.5250/A.7742, which would repeal a state law requiring policyholders to provide 30 days’ advance written notice to the New York State Insurance Fund before canceling a policy. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. James L. Seward, R-51, and Assemblyman Zebrowski was introduced at the request of PIANY because the requirement is burdensome to New York’s small businesses.

They also explained the difficulty Section 2132 of the New York State Insurance Law presents to agents, small-business owners as it requires a licensee to "double down" on CE during overlapping two-year licensing periods for both individual and business entity licenses.

PIANY is working on behalf of professional, independent agents, their businesses and their clients for the passage of a comprehensive legislative agenda in 2016, which includes:

• reform to New York’s "Scaffold Law," to establish a comparative negligence standard for claims under Labor Law 240 and 241;
• elimination of the NYSIF’s 30-day notice rule for canceling a policy;
• removal of the NYSIF’s exempt status from licensing and other insurance requirements;
• adopting workers’ compensation policyholder protections;
• standardizing the events that would trigger coastal homeowners insurance hurricane deductibles;
• ensuring there are no insurance-coverage gaps in any approved ride-hailing/ride-sharing regulations; and
• eliminating duplication and waste in the current CE requirements for agent and business-entity licenses.

PIANY is a trade association representing professional, independent insurance agencies, brokerages and their employees throughout the state.

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Photos can be found here.