FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  December 28, 2012
MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY:  Nancy Kincaid (916) 599-1320(#172)

NEWS RELEASEFOURTEEN NEW INSURANCE LAWS AIMED TO PROTECT CONSUMERS

SACRAMENTO – Fourteen pieces of legislation sponsored or publicly supported by Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and the California Department of Insurance (CDI) and signed by Governor Jerry Brown create new consumer protections or strengthen existing statutes. From preparing for federal healthcare reform and eliminating rate volatility in existing long-term care insurance policies to working to ensure more affordable healthcare insurance products for consumers and providing more funding for district attorneys to prosecuting healthcare and disability fraud to aligning state regulation with federal law, Commissioner Jones
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Jan. 1 isn’t only a day to nurse hangovers and watch football. It also marks the effective date of various new laws impacting California motorists, including:

SB 1388: Broken Parking Meters

Drivers who park in a metered space only to discover the meter is broken no longer have to worry about whether they will be ticketed. Under SB 1388, drivers are allowed to park at a broken parking meter up to the posted time limit without receiving a ticket. If local authorities do restrict parking at broken meters, the law requires that the no-parking rule be posted, informing drivers of the restriction.

SB 435: Motorcycle Noise

Any motorcycle and aftermarket exhaust system that is
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The significant flooding from Hurricane Sandy is a leading cause of damage to many homes affected by the storm, according to the Insurance Information Institute(I.I.I.).

Coverage for flood damage resulting from surface water, including storm surge caused by hurricanes is not covered under standard homeowners and renters insurance policies; however flood coverage is available both from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and from a few private insurance companies.
What to Do If You Have Suffered a Flood-Related Loss.
 

Call the insurance professional who sold you your homeowners or renters insurance policy. He or she will advise you regarding the steps for filing your flood insurance claim.  Your insurance company may
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Some of the California Legislature’s newest members are adding more than an elected title to their resume as the 2013-2014 session begins.

New leadership assignments announced by Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez today put five Democratic freshman members of the Assembly in a caucus post, with more than a dozen more controlling a committee gavel as they begin what could be 12 years in the lower house. Returning Democratic Assemblyman Roger Hernández, who has been in the news over allegations of driving under the influence and other bad behavior, will not serve as Democratic whip, a position previously announced.

The Senate has not released its full committee chair lineup for the new
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