Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Insurance Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs bill to let consumers request copies of their auto and home insurance policies
Summary
House File 2607 was amended to narrow its scope to personal lines (auto and home); the committee adopted the author's A1 amendment and recommended the bill be re‑referred to the general register.
The House Commerce, Finance and Policy Committee on March 27 adopted an author’s A1 amendment to House File 2607 and recommended the bill be re‑referred to the general register.
Representative Hewitt introduced the bill and said it grew out of an incident in which a member of the other legislative body had difficulty obtaining a copy of her insurance policy. Erin Cocking, testifying for the Insurance Federation of Minnesota, told the committee that the federation’s members agreed consumers should be able to obtain a copy of their contract when they request it.
"This bill came about as a result of an unfortunate incident . . . and she wasn't able to get it, even though she would be a party to the contract," Erin Cocking said. Cocking said the A1 amendment narrows the bill to personal‑line products — primarily auto and homeowners policies — and removes group and certain life products from the requirement.
Under the amendment described in committee, a policyholder must request a copy; an insurer is not required to send full policies automatically. Cocking said insurers can deliver the requested copy on paper, by email, or by providing a secure website link. The bill as amended requires policy delivery only on request and sets a 21‑day response window in the amendment language.
Committee members questioned whether the change imposed a new burden on insurers. Cocking said the industry had solicited feedback from its membership and that members universally reported they already provide copies to customers on request; the bill, she said, targets the small number of cases in which a policyholder was denied access and had to file a complaint with the Department of Commerce to obtain a copy.
Representative Davids asked whether policyholders could opt out of receiving repeated full‑policy copies on renewal; Cocking said the statutory scheme requires a request for a copy and that most customers receive summary "deck sheets" at renewal unless they ask for the full policy. Representative Vinsbergen and other members said the measure appears to address a small number of outlier situations.
The committee adopted the A1 amendment by voice vote and the committee voted to re‑refer House File 2607, as amended, to the general register.
