Senate Insurance Committee advances nine bills, including pharmacy benefit manager oversight and vaccine reimbursement

Albany — The Senate Standing Committee on Insurance advanced nine bills on Feb. 9, 2026, moving measures on prescription drug supply-chain transparency, preventive-care coverage, building-code enforcement assistance, and vaccination reimbursement out of committee or to further review.

Senator Jalalte Bailey, who opened the meeting, read the agenda and underscored the day’s workload: “We have a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 bill agenda,” she said. The committee proceeded through each measure with brief presentations, motions and voice votes.

A sample of measures moved by the committee included:

- Senate Print 51 (sponsor: Senator Connery). The bill, described in committee as a long-title measure amending the vehicle and traffic and insurance laws relating to risk retention groups and liability insurance for prearranged-for-hire and accessible commuter vehicles, was moved and seconded and reported by voice vote.

- Senate Print 438 (sponsor: Senator Miley). Read as an act addressing prescription drug supply-chain transparency and establishing deposits to a pharmacy benefit manager regulatory fund, the measure was moved, seconded and reported by the committee.

- Senate Print 634b (sponsor: Senator Lou). The bill would require certain health insurance policies to cover diabetes and prediabetes screening; it was moved, seconded and advanced by voice vote.

- Senate Print 2128 (sponsor: Senator Jackson). Presented as requiring certain health insurers to certify that a majority of prescription drug rebates are provided to patients at the point of sale, committee members identified it as a consumer protection issue; it was moved and advanced.

- Senate Print (Cattley package). A bill to provide state assistance to local governments for enforcement of fire prevention and building codes was discussed as addressing outdated local codes in parts of the state and was referred to the finance committee for further consideration.

- Senate Print 5049 (sponsor: Senator Bailey). A bill to amend the insurance law on licensing independent adjusters was moved, seconded and advanced to the floor.

- Measures on homeowner natural-disaster preparedness courses and insurance reimbursement for vaccinations, including a separate bill referencing reimbursement for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, were also moved and advanced or referred as recorded in the committee.

Throughout the meeting, committee action was largely procedural: bill titles were read aloud by an unidentified reader, motions were made and seconded (movers and seconders are recorded in the committee transcript), and the measures were approved by voice votes or sent to the appropriate next step (finance committee or the Senate floor). Senator Bailey commented at one point: “It’s a very long title with a very important bill.”

Votes at a glance (committee action shown as reported/advanced or referred): - Senate Print 51 (Connery) — reported out of committee (voice vote). - Senate Print 438 (Miley) — reported out of committee (voice vote). - Senate Print 634b (Lou) — reported out of committee (voice vote). - Senate Print 2128 (Jackson) — reported out of committee (voice vote). - State assistance for local enforcement of fire/building codes (Cattley package) — referred to finance committee. - Senate Print 5049 (Bailey) — advanced to the floor. - Homeowner preparedness / loss-prevention courses — referred to finance committee. - Senate Print 5852 (Scoofus) — reported out of committee (voice vote). - Senate Print 8334 (Garnas) — reported out of committee (voice vote).

The committee’s proceedings were brief and largely unanimous or without recorded opposition on voice votes; several senators were noted in the transcript as recording themselves “without rec” or similar shorthand during votes. No formal roll-call vote totals were recorded in the committee transcript.

The committee adjourned at the close of the agenda; the bills will proceed to the next steps indicated (finance committee referral or the Senate floor) for further consideration.