Rep. Jason Naderanko pulls HB1993 for interim study after citing alleged insurance fraud case

Representative Jason Naderanko (House District 4) asked the committee to pull House Bill 1993 and refer it to an interim study after describing an alleged insurance-fraud incident he said is occurring in Arkansas.

Naderanko told the committee he provided photos to illustrate a crash in which a driver he called “vehicle 2” blamed a non‑existent third vehicle for striking them, and the insurer assigned liability to that fictitious vehicle. "This is how I identified it as insurance fraud," he said, and later told the panel, "I would like to move this to an interim study, so that we can reduce or eliminate insurance fraud here in our state." The chair confirmed the bill would be pulled for study and Naderanko agreed.

Why it matters: Naderanko framed HB1993 as a targeted response to a specific pattern he said is allowing liability to be shifted to unprovable vehicles, creating denied claims and potential losses to insured motorists and tow and repair businesses.

Naderanko described sending photos to a Farmers Insurance adjuster and said the adjuster denied the claim while attributing fault to an alleged third vehicle despite the photos showing no damage to that vehicle. He asked the committee to use an interim study to gather information and work with insurers before bringing a final bill back to the legislature.

No formal roll-call vote was recorded on the bill during the session captured in the transcript; the sponsor requested, and the chair accepted, that HB1993 be pulled for interim study.

The committee moved on to the next agenda items after acknowledging the sponsor’s request; no specific study timeline or staff assignment was recorded on the record in the transcript.

The committee may consider the bill again if staff or the sponsor reports findings from the interim work or if the sponsor resubmits language.