Bill Text - HB1342 (2016)

Prohibiting the use of certain information to underwrite insurance.


Revision: March 8, 2016, midnight

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HB 1342 - AS INTRODUCED

 

2016 SESSION

\t16-2451

\t01/08

 

HOUSE BILL\t1342

 

AN ACT\tprohibiting the use of certain information to underwrite insurance.

 

SPONSORS:\tRep. Hatch, Coos 6; Rep. Gottling, Sull. 2; Rep. Ladd, Graf. 4; Rep. Sad, Ches. 1; Rep. Eaton, Ches. 3

 

COMMITTEE:\tCommerce and Consumer Affairs

 

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ANALYSIS

 

\tThis bill makes it a discriminatory and unfair insurance trade practice to charge higher premiums for automobile and homeowners insurance based on credit rating.  Current law allows the use of credit reports for such purposes if it is not the sole reason for higher premiums.

 

\tThis bill also prohibits insurers from requesting certain information to underwrite casualty insurance coverage.

 

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Explanation:\tMatter added to current law appears in bold italics.

\t\tMatter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

\t\tMatter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

\t16-2451

\t01/08

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Sixteen

 

AN ACT\tprohibiting the use of certain information to underwrite insurance.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

\t1  Unfair Insurance Trade Practice; Automobile Insurance and Homeowner Insurance.  Amend RSA 417:4, VIII(g) to read as follows:

\t\t\t(g)  Charging a higher premium for private passenger automobile or homeowner insurance [solely] on the basis of information obtained from a credit rating, a credit history, or a credit scoring model.

\t2  New Paragraph; Unfair Insurance Practices; Education Level; Occupation.  Amend RSA 417:4 by inserting after paragraph XXIII the following new paragraph:

\t\tXXIV.  EDUCATION LEVEL; OCCUPATION.  Requesting education level or occupation and using such information to rate or underwrite casualty insurance.

\t3  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2017.