N.Y. Reauthorizes NYPIUA Fair Plan

By Mark E. Ruquet

NU Online News Service, June 23, 3:47 p.m. EDT?The New York State Legislature after an extended stalemate yesterday finally passed legislation to put back in business its state underwriting association that insures the home and business residual market.[@@]

Their action reinstituted the New York Property Insurance Underwriting Association for another year. The operation had been in limbo since April 30 when its authorizing legislation was allowed to expire.

NYPIUA now has life until June 30, 2005, and is retroactive to April 30, when the program was shut down because its term expired.

The measure now goes to Gov. George Pataki, who is expected to sign it shortly.

At the time of its expiration, there were several bills on the table in the Assembly to extend NYPIUA for one or two years, or permanently. A Senate version would have extended the program through June to allow time for the legislature to finish work on the state's budget before beginning work on NYPIUA authorization.

The legislature did not pass a state budget.

While commending the legislature for reauthorizing NYPIUA, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York Inc. expressed frustration with the disruption, saying the expiration "was avoidable" and that the current bill is "only a stop-gap solution." It added that the program should be made permanent.

"Our hope is NYPIUA will no longer be used as a political football or bargaining chip as it has in past years," the association said in a statement. "Lawmakers, by not passing legislation permanently extending authorization, face again the prospect of kicking around NYPIUA this same time next year or even later. It is a game that should end with this latest vote."

Assemblyman Alexander "Pete" Grannis, D-Manhattan, who chairs the Assembly Insurance Committee, said he was critical of the Senate for not passing the Assembly's legislation to extend or make NYPIUA permanent.

Mr. Grannis said the Senate "lacked any credible reason behind their refusal to extend this 36-year-old program." He said the Senate should send the legislation to the governor immediately.

He called for the program to be made permanent to avoid the chaos experienced by buyers of property insurance this year.

A request for comment from the office of state Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, was not returned immediately.

The Professional Insurance Agents of New York said that it was hopeful that because the program's life was extended to the end of June of next year, it would give the legislature time to work out its differences and finally make the program permanent.

The program, which insures more than 57,000 property owners in the state, primarily in the New York City area, has already sent out non-renewal notices to customers whose insurance expired while the program was suspended. PIANY said that during past suspensions of the program, after it received reauthorization, offers of renewal were sent to customers along with a premium bill.

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N.Y. Reauthorizes NYPIUA Fair Plan

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