A series of bills aimed at strengthening consumer protections for wildfire survivors is moving forward. Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones says the bills will help address shortcomings that have left residents wanting better results when their claims are being processed.
"The bills are very simple. They're designed to make it easier for people that are at the lowest moment of their lives to get what they've been promised and to make sure they have a chance to recover," Jones said.
Jones has rallied with state Senators Mike McGuire, and Bill Dodd to help promote the legislation package that would help protect the victims of last year's wildfires.
McGuire's bill, Senate Bill 897, would require insurers to pay 80 percent of the limit of a policyholder's personal property coverage with no requirement for a written inventory.
Dodd's piece of legislation, Senate Bill 894, would allow policyholders to combine various coverages within their homeowner policy to pay any covered losses.
"It took 69 lives, it destroyed partially or completely some 36,000 structures, and to date, has caused up close to $13 billion in insured losses," Jones said.
Senators Mike McGuire and Bill Dodd live in the affected wildfire areas and introduced the bills that were recently passed out of the Senate Insurance Committee.
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