Bill Text: NY S00487 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Prohibits insurers from refusing to issue or renew, cancel, or charge or impose an increased premium for homeowners' insurance policies based on the breed of a dog owned.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 0000-00-00 - [S00487 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-S00487-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           487
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 7, 2015
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. LAVALLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
        AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to  prohibiting  insurers
          from  canceling, refusing to issue or renew, or charging higher premi-
          ums for homeowners' insurance based on the breed of dog owned
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  The insurance law is amended by adding a new section 3421
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 3421. Homeowners' liability insurance;  dogs.  1.  With  respect  to
     4  homeowners'  insurance policies as defined in section two thousand three
     5  hundred fifty-one of this chapter, no insurer shall refuse to  issue  or
     6  renew, cancel, or charge or impose an increased premium or rate for such
     7  policy  or  contract  based solely upon harboring or owning any dog of a
     8  specific breed or mixture of breeds.
     9    2. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit an  insurer  from
    10  refusing  to issue or renew or from canceling any such contract or poli-
    11  cy, nor from imposing a reasonably increased premium or rate for such  a
    12  policy  or  contract based upon the designation of a dog of any breed or
    13  mixture of breeds as a dangerous dog pursuant  to  section  one  hundred
    14  twenty-three  of  the agriculture and markets law, based on sound under-
    15  writing and actuarial principles reasonably related to actual or  antic-
    16  ipated  loss  experience subject to the applicable provisions of section
    17  three thousand four hundred twenty-five of this article.
    18    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    19  have become a law and shall apply to all policies issued, renewed, modi-
    20  fied, altered or amended on or after such effective date.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03164-01-5