NICB APPLAUDS FLORIDA HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, SENATE COMMITTEE ON BANKING & INSURANCE FOR PASSING LAWSUIT ABUSE REFORM LEGISLATION

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Mar 10, 2023, 14:18 ET

NICB Supports Meaningful Legislation To Stabilize Florida's Insurance Market

DES PLAINES, Ill., March 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the nation's premier non-profit organization dedicated to identifying, preventing and deterring insurance fraud and crime, applauds the Florida House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Committee on Banking & Insurance for advancing meaningful lawsuit abuse reform legislation, House Bill 837 and Senate Bill 236, during the beginning of the 2023 Legislative Session.

The two bills, supported by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, and House Speaker Paul Renner, would bring relief to Florida consumers by stopping abusive lawsuits, eliminating one-way attorney fees, aiming to further limit injury and insurance litigation, modernizing bad faith laws, stopping inflated jury awards, and revealing the true cost of medical care provided to injured people.

"Insurance fraud and abuse is rampant in the state of Florida, costing homeowners and insurance carriers billions of dollars each year," said David J. Glawe, NICB President and Chief Executive Officer. "We thank the bill sponsors, Representatives Tommy Gregory and Tom Fabrico and Senator Travis Hutson, for advocating on behalf of Florida's consumers and for working together to stabilize the Florida insurance market and address the decades-long fraud and abuse that has plagued the state. NICB fully supports this legislation."

"House Bill 837 and Senate Bill 236 will bring much needed reform to Florida's lawsuit abuse climate," said NICB Vice President, Strategy, Policy, and Government Affairs Rich DiZinno. "We look forward to seeing these bills advance through the legislature and bring relief to Floridians who have been stuck with skyrocketing insurance premiums and other rising costs."

Senate Bill 236 will now move on to be considered by the Senate Judiciary and Senate Fiscal Policy Committees while House Bill 837 will move on to the House Floor for a vote.

If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, call the NICB at 1-800-TEL-NICB. For additional information, visit NICB's website, WWW.NICB.org.

REPORT FRAUD: Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800.TEL.NICB (800.835.6422) or submitting a form on our website.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU: Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to combatting and preventing insurance crime through Intelligence, Analytics, and Operations; Education and Crime Prevention; and Strategy, Policy, and Advocacy. The NICB is supported by more than 1,200 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote over $582 billion in insurance premiums in 2021, or more than 82% of the nation's property-casualty insurance. That includes more than 96% of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more, visit www.nicb.org.

SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau