Committee amends and releases bill allowing insurer fraud‑information sharing with civil immunity limits

The committee voted to amend and release A3255, legislation designed to permit insurers to share suspected insurance‑fraud information with the bureau of fraud deterrence while carving out civil immunity for good‑faith reports. Sponsor comments described the amendments as a response to prior concerns that the bill was drafted too broadly and said the revisions aim to improve fraud detection while preventing abuse.

Richard Albuquerque, president‑elect of the New Jersey Association for Justice, testified against the draft, arguing the bill as written would permit sharing of sensitive personal and medical information and grant insurers broad immunity without giving consumers a meaningful process to review or correct inaccurate data. "Expanding immunity will encourage the sharing of unverified information across the industry," Albuquerque said, and urged removal or narrowing of immunity and the inclusion of notice-and‑challenge procedures.

Industry witnesses, including Gary Laspiza of the Insurance Council of New Jersey, said the measure would help detect large, organized fraud rings and reduce costs across the marketplace; they noted 47 other jurisdictions permit similar information sharing. After floor discussion and a roll call, the committee recorded affirmative votes and the chair announced the bill "is amended and released."