After being rejected last session, insurance lobbyists are again pushing legislation (HB 1774 & SB 10, more aptly called the "Blue Tarp Bills") that would lessen penalties for property insurers that hurt their customers.
Texas Watch Executive Director Ware Wendell released the following statement concerning HB 1774, which was heard today in the House Committee on Insurance:
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Data from the Texas Department of Insurance's "Weather Related Property Claims" report shows that Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) and other insurance lobbyists have fabricated another "crisis" in an effort to rob Texas homeowners, businesses, churches, and schools of their legal protections.
After disaster strikes, Texans start the process of rebuilding and getting back on their feet. But too often, insurers delay and underpay policyholders' valid claims. A policyholder can’t rebuild until they have full payment in hand. When insurers underpay Texans and add unnecessary delays, Texas communities are left in the lurch. This month, SB 10 and HB 1774, more aptly referred to as the Blue Tarp Bills, were filed.
In the years that insurers have claimed a crisis, carriers have raked in billions. Outperforming the nation in profitability for three years running, Texas homeowners insurance carriers have been making profits hand over fist.
Insurance lobbyists are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Texans, using cherry-picked data on consumer complaints at the Texas Department of Insurance to help their bottom line. But, KXAN's Investigative Team revealed the problems plaguing the Texas Department of Insurance's complaints process and the very numbers insurance lobbyists are relying on.
Texas policyholders struggling to have their valid claims paid in full and on time are forced to resort to the courts. But, often insurers are escaping accountability and gaming the system by using the last trick up their sleeve: the appraisal process.
After last night's storms ripped through Central and South Texas, property owners are assessing the damage to their homes and businesses. Executive Director Ware Wendell released the following statement regarding the Blue Tarp Bills (SB 10 and HB 1774), which would make it even more difficult for Texas policyholders to have their claims paid in full and on time after disasters like last night's storm.
SB 10 and HB 1774, more aptly referred to as the Blue Tarp Bills, burden all property owners in getting all property claims paid on time and in full. Families, businesses, schools, and churches with water damage, fire damage, windstorm damage, and more will have even more difficulty in starting the rebuilding process. If insurance lobbyists have their way, the state will be blanketed in blue tarps.
Ware Wendell, Executive Director of Texas Watch, released the following statement in response to the filing of SB 10 & HB 1774 (i.e., the "Blue Tarp Bills"):
