Committee kills bill that would have given the auto-insurance industry cover from FOIA

In February, the Insurance & Real Estate Committee approved legislation that would exempt insurance companies from providing basic public information on their auto policy underwriting. It was on the Government Administration & Elections Committee agenda this morning, but Sen. Gayle S. Slossberg, D-Milford and her co-chair, Rep. Russ Morin, D-Wethersfield, put a “hold” on it, killing it softly. Here’s the bill summary from the Office of Legislative Research.

“AN ACT CONCERNING THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY INSURANCE UNDERWRITING GUIDELINES.

SUMMARY:

This bill treats the rules and regulations insurance companies use to determine whether to underwrite an automobile policy as trade secrets that are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. By law, any insurance company that issues automobile policies in the state must file with the Insurance Department, 30 days before they become effective, the rules and regulations, including modifications, the company uses to determine whether to underwrite such policies.”