According to NAMIC, the concentration on auto insurance measures followed a trend identified in its 2004 analysis. NAMIC said more than one-fifth, 59, of 2004's p-c laws relate to the regulation of motor vehicle insurance.

Ken Marshall, NAMIC state affairs information manager, said, "Twenty-seven states approved 59 new motor vehicle insurance laws, the majority of which pertain directly to driving under the influence, seatbelt or child safety standards, and proof of insurance requirements. This trend is clearly in line
with our new law findings from recent years.

States approving motor vehicle related insurance legislation include: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia."

NAMIC found fifteen percent of the new laws pertain to workers' compensation. Twenty-three states, California the most notable, enacted 40 new laws, the majority addressing specific benefit or claims eligibility or the role and authority
of the state workers' comp regulator, or provide comprehensive technical and substantive revisions to a state's workers' comp statutes.

Laws concerned with civil litigation reform were the third largest category of new law, according to NAMIC. Twenty-one statutes were enacted in 16 states.

New laws regulating motor vehicle insurance, workers' comp, and tort reform accounted for 43 percent of all new measures.

The next largest categories of new laws dealt with financial regulation, rate regulation, guaranty funds, use of loss history reports (C.L.U.E.), the role or authority of the state insurance regulator,
and premium taxes.

NAMIC said several laws enacted last year advanced its national state legislative agenda. Rate modernization laws were enacted in Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina
and South Dakota.

Iowa adopted language similar to the National Council of Insurance Legislators model protecting the use of credit-based insurance scoring as underwriting tools.

Laws protecting the use of loss history reports generated by Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (C.L.U.E.) were enacted in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

Mississippi, Ohio, and Pennsylvania enacted asbestos litigation reform. Connecticut enacted legislation carving out a terrorism exception to the Standard Fire Policy.

NAMIC said that it has data about the various state measures online at http://www.namic.org/reports/2004NewLaws/default.asp .