Are you unable to get to the polls on Election Day? Did you know that you always can vote before Election Day through an absentee ballot or utilize your county’s early voting window? Both options are open to all voters in New York. Early voting Early voting is a...
Meet Lydia Bashwiner: New Jersey PIAPAC treasurer and PIANJ Legislative/Regulatory Committee chair
In celebration of Women’s History Month, I sat down with Lydia Bashwiner, Esq., CWCP, NJWCP, from Otterstedt Insurance Agency Inc. Lydia is the treasurer of New Jersey PIAPAC, as well as the chair of the PIANJ Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee. We discussed...
Alert: New Russian cyberthreats discovered, governments issue guidance to reduce cyber security exposures
Amid the escalating situations in Ukraine, federal and state governments are alerting U.S. individuals and businesses of more cyberthreats that stem from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that could impact cybersecurity in the near future. CISA cyber security...
N.Y.: Part V: Rule making and executive agencies
In this final installment of our series about how a bill becomes a law in New York state, we are going to talk about the final stage of the process: rulemaking. Most people think that when a bill passes both chambers of the state Legislature and it is signed by the...
The Connecticut lawmaking process
How does a bill become a law in Connecticut? It’s a bit like the process explained in Schoolhouse Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill,” but with some important differences. In this post, I’ll provide a somewhat simplified outline of how a bill becomes a law in a “short session,”...
N.Y.: PIA advocacy successful, Hochul signs CIDA chapter amendments
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed S.7882-A last week, which adds chapter amendments to the Comprehensive Insurance Disclosure Act (S.7052/A.8041), and amends the law to remove insurance applications from the list of insurance documents required to be turned over during civil...
N.Y.: A look at the Agents Advocacy Coalition—great advocacy continues
A little over a year ago, your political action committee adopted a new name and look. What is now known as the Agents Advocacy Coalition, the Official PAC of PIANY was once the Professional Insurance Agents of New York Political Action Committee (PIANYPAC). With the...
Conn.: Legislative update: State budget in short session, 2022 state elections loom
This year has been characterized as the year when life could—hopefully—begin to assume some semblance of normalcy. However, for several reasons, 2022 is shaping up to be anything but a normal year in Connecticut state politics. A short session, federal funding...
N.Y.: Gov. Hochul ends public indoor mask rule; NY HERO Act still active
Gov. Kathy Hochul ended New York state’s mask requirements for indoor public spaces on Feb. 10, 2022. However, counties and municipalities such as New York City still may choose to enforce their own orders, and businesses in the state still can require masks or proof...
N.Y.: New York cyber-compliance certification due April 15
New York’s Cybersecurity Regulation (23 NYCRR 500) requires all insurance entities that hold a New York state insurance license—referred to as covered entities in the regulation—to file a certification of compliance with the New York Department of Financial Services...