ALBANY, N.Y.—PIA New York lauds Gov. Kathy Hochul for signing a major victory for insurance modernization and consumer protection into law—A.5331 establishes a statewide online insurance verification system to allow the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, law enforcement and other authorized officials to instantly confirm whether a vehicle is insured properly. This replaces New York state’s outdated batch-update system, which often led to insured drivers being mistakenly flagged as uninsured due to data lags. The law is set to take effect on Dec. 31, 2028, to give insurers and the DMV time to build and test the system.

Under the new law, insurers will provide real-time access to policy information, including issuance, cancellation and lapse dates. This means fewer errors, faster resolution of coverage disputes, and a more accurate picture of insurance compliance across the state. 

“Prior to this new law, agents often spent hours on phone calls—usually with clients who didn’t understand the process or the reasons for the delays—document resubmissions and DMV follow-ups,” said PIA New York President Jason Bartow, AAI, CPIA, TRA. “Now agents can focus more on advising clients and less on troubleshooting system errors. In turn, clients will benefit from a smoother experience and greater confidence that their insurance coverage status is accurately reflected.”

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PIA New York is the premier professional association for independent insurance agents, working to advance the needs of its members and to be a leading voice in the insurance industry. PIANY provides members with the very best education, information, advocacy, and business tools possible.