PIANY has long advocated for a more effective and consumer-friendly insurance marketplace. In past legislative sessions, PIANY successfully championed key reforms, including standardizing the definition of windstorm, and banning harmful bait-and-switch tactics. Building on this progress, PIANY now is pushing for a critical update to the New York state Department of Motor Vehicle’s insurance verification system.
This week marked an important step, when PIANY-supported legislation (S.5331), sponsored by Sen. Jamaal Bailey, D-36, passed unanimously out of the Senate Transportation Committee.
What this means for the insurance-buying public
The bill would replace the outdated insurance verification process with a real-time, online system, which would eliminate processing delays that often cause insured drivers to appear uninsured.
These delays can lead to fines, registration suspensions and unnecessary complications.
What this means for agents
For insurance agents, this modernization would reduce client frustrations, lower administrative burdens, and improve compliance by ensuring policy data is always up to date.
While the transition may require technological updates, the long-term impact is expected to enhance efficiency and accuracy across the insurance industry.
PIA supports this consumer-friendly bill
PIANY applauds Chairperson Jeremy Cooney and all Transportation Committee members for advancing this much-needed reform.
The bill now moves forward to the Senate floor, bringing New York state closer to modernizing its insurance verification process.
See how this bill could benefit agents, consumers, and the industry.
Get involved
If you want to get involved with PIANY’s legislative and advocacy work, there are many ways to engage with the association:
- Participate in PIANY’s District Office Visit Program;
- Become a member of Agents Advocacy Coalition; and
- Watch your PIA Northeast publications and PIA Northeast’s social-media channels for important New York updates and share them with your followers.
Matt McDonough is PIA Northeast's writer, editor and content curator. Matt joined PIA Northeast in September 2023. Before that, he had been an editor for the online entertainment magazine Collider from 2021-23 as a copy editor for its lists section. Matt entered the world of journalism at his alma mater, SUNY New Paltz, writing and reporting for the college's student run newspaper, The New Paltz Oracle. He graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Creative Writing in 2020.
