Assembly approves requirement for one‑page insurance summaries for auto and home policies

The Assembly passed Assembly No. 536-A (rules report 4-80), which requires insurers to provide a brief summary document of auto and homeowners coverage to policyholders on request.

Sponsor Miss Pollan said the measure was drafted after conversations with a Department of Financial Services deputy commissioner who found declarations pages lengthy and hard to read. "At a glance, it's very hard for someone to... see what is the coverage, what is not in the coverage," Pollan said on the floor.

Members questioned whether the summary would duplicate existing declarations pages or create more paperwork. Mister Gandolfo and Mister Gandolfo's question about whether the summary differs from a declarations page prompted debate. Pollan said the bill sets specific summary content and a stakeholder panel to scale information for clarity.

Opponents including Mister Blankenbush and Mister Gandolfo argued more pages could mean less reading and that flood-zone designations are federal determinations, not dictated by insurers. Supporters including Mister Ickes and Miss People Stokes recounted disasters where homeowners did not realize flood or other coverages were excluded and said a clear summary could prevent surprise denials.

The Assembly recorded Ayes 100, Noes 45. The bill will take effect Oct. 1 and includes a provision allowing carriers to use the declarations page if it satisfies the summary requirements.

Legislators said details on the summary's exact format and oversight will be subject to the framing panel and implementing agency guidance; floor sponsors cited consumer-readability and the pace of natural-disaster losses as driving the change.