Property Casualty Insurers Association of America
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Assembly Bills
Following are ACIC position statements on bills that have been introduced during the 2009-2010 California legislative session.
AB 5 Civil Discovery: Electronic Discovery Act

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 06/16/2009
Summary: AB 5 amends the Civil Discovery Act to establish procedures for litigants to obtain discovery of electronically stored information in addition to documents and other tangible things in the possession of another party to the action. Effective date: June 29, 2009. ... more

AB 42 AJR 42 Medicare Secondary Payer Enhancement Act

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 07/29/2010
Summary: AJR 42 would express the Legislature’s support for HR 4796, the Medicare Secondary Payer Enhancement Act, a bipartisan effort in Congress that will allow parties to more quickly settle claims involving Medicare beneficiaries, to accurately determine the amount owed Medicare, and to make prompt payment to the Medicare Trust.... more

AB 83 Torts: Personal Liability Immunity

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 06/30/2009
Summary: AB 83 responds to a decision by the California Supreme Court which narrowly held that California's "Good Samaritan" law provides immunity from civil liability to persons providing assistance in an emergency only to those persons qualified to provide emergency medical care. AB 83 provides that in addition to the immunity provided to medical, law enforcement and emergency personnel for rendering assistance at the scene of an emergency, immunity from civil liability extends to any person rendering... more

AB 91 Vehicles: DUI: Ignition Interlock Device

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 09/02/2009
Summary: AB 91 requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish a five-year pilot program in three counties to require the installation of an ignition interlock device on vehicles owned or operated by all DUI offenders. ACIC supported the bill. Effective date: July 1, 2010.... more

AB 109 Outdoor Advertising

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 04/02/2009
Summary: AB 109 would impose a two-year moratorium on new digital billboards pending the completion of two federal studies on the question of safety. ... more

AB 328 Electronic Transactions: Exceptions

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 08/31/2009
Summary: AB 328 expands the types of insurance transactions that can be handled electronically and also authorizes insurers to pay claims by electronic funds transfer. ACIC was the sponsor of the bill.... more

AB 361 Workers Compensation: Treatment Authorization

ACIC Position: Oppose
Last ACIC Action: 09/22/2009
Summary: AB 361 prohibits an insurer that authorizes medical treatment from rescinding or modifying the authorization after the medical treatment has been provided pursuant to the authorization. The bill specifies that if the authorized medical treatment consists of a series of treatments or services, the insurer may rescind or modify the authorization only for the treatments or services that have not already been provided. ... more

AB 470 Insurance Information Confidential

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 06/30/2009
Summary: AB 470 authorizes the disclosure of information from an accident report, supplemental report or investigative report to an insured’s lawyer if the insured is otherwise entitled to obtain the report as specified. ... more

AB 519 Consumer Bill of Rights for Towed Vehicles

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 06/30/2009
Summary: AB 519 would require a towing company that charges for towing and storage to post a copy of the towing fees and access notice, which contains specific information regarding a vehicle owner's rights and responsibilities if his or her vehicle is towed. The bill would also require that, prior to receiving payment for towing, recovery or storage-related fees, a towing company provide an itemized invoice of actual charges to the owner or his or her insurer. ... more

AB 615 Workers Compensation

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 04/30/2009
Summary: AB 615 would authorize the administrative director of the Division of Workers Compensation to adopt regulations that define “first-aid” in a manner that is consistent with the OSHA definition of the term.... more

AB 664 Workers Compensation: Hospital Employees: Presumption

ACIC Position: Oppose
Last ACIC Action: 05/15/2009
Summary: AB 664 would create a presumption of compensability for blood-borne infectious diseases, neck and back impairments or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus that develops during a person’s employment at a hospital. ... more

AB 879 Workers Compensation: Self-Insurers: Financial Audits

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 05/11/2009
Summary: AB 879 would require a group self-insurer to annually file with the director of the Office of Self- Insured Plans an audited financial statement and an actuarial certification of reserve adequacy. The financial statement and the actuarial certification would be made available to the public. ... more

AB 933 Workers Compensation: Utilization Review

ACIC Position: Oppose
Last ACIC Action: 08/30/2010
Summary: AB 933 would require that a physician who conducts utilization review of an injured worker’s medical treatment to be a California licensed physician. ... more

AB 953 Department of Motor Vehicles: records: confidentiality

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 01/07/2010
Summary: AB 953 would authorize an insurer's agent to obtain an address from the Department of Motor Vehicles for the purpose of obtaining the address of another motorist or vehicle owner involved in an accident with the company's insured pursuant to existing state and federal privacy and data security laws.... more

AB 1011 Green Investments

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 07/27/2010
Summary: AB 1011 would establish a tax credit equal to 20% of the amount invested by insurers in “green” investments certified by the Department of Insurance.... more

AB 1140 Diagnostic Imaging Services

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 05/14/2009
Summary: AB 1140 would expressly include an entity that contracts with an insurance company to be responsible for the payment of diagnostic imaging services in the statutory definition of “responsible third-party payer.” ... more

AB 1200 Motor Vehicle Insurance: Direct Repair Programs

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 09/15/2009
Summary: AB 1200 allows insurers to provide automobile insurance claimants with specified truthful and nondeceptive information regarding the services and benefits available to claimants during the claims process. The bill also requires that the written disclosure statement provided by insurers to claimants, when an insurer orally recommends an automobile repair dealer, be in a separate and freestanding document. ... more

AB 1871 Motor vehicle insurance coverage: carsharing

ACIC Position: Oppose
Last ACIC Action: 04/28/2010
Summary: AB 1871 would prohibit a motor vehicle from being classified for insurance purposes as a commercial, for-hire, or permissive use vehicle, or livery solely on the basis of it’s being used for carsharing if the revenue generated by carsharing does not exceed the monthly expenses of operating the vehicle provided that insurance coverage is provided by the carsharing organizations for the period when the vehicle is being used. ... more

AB 1994 Hospital Employees: Presumption

ACIC Position: Oppose
Last ACIC Action: 04/14/2010
Summary: AB 1994 would create a presumption that a hospital employee who develops a blood-borne infectious disease or a neck or back impairment has an injury that is covered by workers compensation.... more

AB 2022 Homeowners Insurance Disclosure

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 08/26/2010
Summary: AB 2022 would update and improve the existing residential disclosure act which is provided to homeowners with their homeowners policy. ... more

AB 2111 Service Contracts

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 08/26/2010
Summary: AB 2111 would make several important changes to the law governing the sale of both service contracts and vehicle service contracts. ... more

AB 2284 Jury Trials: Rules of Court

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 08/26/2010
Summary: AB 2284 would establish procedures for conducting expedited jury trials in California.... more

AB 2395 Justified Complaint Investigation

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 04/05/2010
Summary: AB 2395 is designed to streamline the investigation of consumer complaints by ensuring that the complaint receives the proper attention by both the department and the insurer. ... more

AB 2396 Workers Compensation Insurance: Rating Organizations

ACIC Position: Oppose
Last ACIC Action: 07/27/2010
Summary: AB 2396 would require the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) as the “designated statistical agent” to conduct public meetings and to release specific records to the public. ... more

AB 2404 Insurance

ACIC Position: Oppose
Last ACIC Action: 08/26/2010
Summary: ACIC is opposed to the section which requires disclosure of any cancellation policies, expect pro-rata penalties, prior to the inception of the policy. ... more

AB 2490 Workers Compensation Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Arbitration Clauses

ACIC Position: Oppose
Last ACIC Action: 04/16/2010
Summary: AB 2490 would impose requirements on agreements relating to disputes between employers and workers’ compensation insurers.... more

AB 2593 Workers Compensation: official medical fee schedule

ACIC Position: Oppose
Last ACIC Action: 04/29/2010
Summary: AB 2593 proposes to de-link the state’s official medical fee schedule for pharmacy from the Medi-Cal schedule for pharmacy reimbursement. ... more

AB 2740 Civil Actions: Damages

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 04/28/2010
Summary: AB 2740 would amend California tort law to (1) limit punitive damage awards to an amount equal to treble damages, (2) impose a statutory limit of $250,000 on awards for noneconomic damages, and (3) provide that punitive damages could not be awarded in product liability actions where the product received government approval or met applicable government standards. ... more

AB 2779 Workers Compensation: Compound Medication

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 08/20/2010
Summary: AB 2279 would require that compound medications would only be covered under workers compensation if prior approval has determined the compound medication is medically necessary. ... more

AB 2781 Insurance Guarantee Association

ACIC Position: Support
Last ACIC Action: 06/02/2010
Summary: The California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA) was created to protect California insurance consumers from losses arising after an insurance company becomes insolvent. ... more

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