Overview
- In her Jan. 13 State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a multipronged plan to cut premiums that average about $4,000 a year in New York.
- The proposals revive a state fraud prevention board and give insurers greater leeway to report suspected fraud and more than the current 30 days to investigate claims, citing 38,000 suspected cases in 2023 that added roughly $300 to policies.
- The plan would cap non-economic damages for uninsured drivers who violate financial-responsibility laws, impaired drivers, and people committing or fleeing felonies, and would limit recovery when a plaintiff is mostly at fault.
- Hochul also seeks clearer standards for what counts as a serious injury, tougher enforcement against staged crashes and phony medical diagnoses, and action against illegal out-of-state registrations.
- The package includes legalizing fully autonomous vehicles, a move praised by Waymo, and now proceeds to lawmakers and agencies to define standards and implementation details.