Thursday, August 13, 2026, 10:45 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 1
Committee: Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection
0:11 On patrol good morning and
0:11 welcome today's New York City
0:14 concert wart on consumer and
0:16 worker protection at this time
0:18 during today's vote, no 1
0:20 approach the days, please.
0:21 Silence. And you devices that
0:23 you have chair. You begin.
0:29 Good morning, everyone.
0:31 Today's consumer worker
0:31 protection committee vote. I'm
0:33 Harvey
0:33 De La when a two on ouroined b
0:43 website like Carl Wilson
0:44 surely had the ball. Sorry. Oh
0:47 , no, like brain aah! Shaker
0:50 krishna Gale Brewer and Eric
0:53 dinner wits for joy of being.
0:56 Here was just for the
0:58 resolution and the joy being
1:01 here
1:02 . They were voting on a
1:02 legislation aimed at combating
1:03 the rise, of course, of
1:03 insurance in New York at every
1:06 impacts, every New yorker and
1:08 every single agency. It's an
1:10 introduction 6 85 by the
1:12 speaker stop between the
1:12 office of insurance
1:15 accountability resolution 307
1:17 by council Brewer, which will
1:17 be hearing from soon calling
1:19 on the New York state
1:19 legislature to pass the
1:23 governor design a o 7 8 2 8 a
1:27 and senate o 7 9 3 9 and a
1:32 nine o. 1 5 And a 901 6 to
1:33 mitigate the cost of insurance
1:35 resolution by council members
1:37 calling on New York state
1:38 legislative past governor
1:39 signed the automobile
1:40 insurance consumer protection
1:43 act resolution 195, councilman
1:44 moreno calling on the state
1:45 legislature and the governor.
1:48 Sign 5 6 and a 488
1:51 ,prohibiting the increase in
1:52 rates for homeowners insurance
1:53 in excess of five percentage,
1:57 25 percentage points a year, I
1:58 would also I would like bring
1:59 over to the sponsors of the
2:02 resolution, starting with
2:06 councilmember Brewer. Thank
2:06 you very much chair, I think
2:07 you have made it very clear
2:09 that insurance, particularly
2:11 for affordable housing is
2:12 incredibly challenging. I know
2:15 that, um,
2:16 many people have tried to
2:17 address this and I can't say
2:19 it's been successful, so to.
2:20 The credit of those in
2:22 albany. They are trying to
2:23 create a fun. It would be a
2:26 fun for affordable housing I
2:27 nit will be a relief
2:29 . Fund program to provide
2:32 grants to eligible projects
2:34 for reasonable and necessary
2:36 commercial insurance expenses
2:37 right now as you know, if you
2:38 build affordable housing
2:39 insurance is one of your
2:40 biggest challenge is to making
2:41 the term sheets work also part
2:45 of part of also part of this
2:49 legislation to address the
2:51 affordable housing insurance
2:52 crisis and to improve
2:53 availability and pricing. All
2:56 of this is very challenging,
2:57 but I think we have to give it
2:59 our best efforts, and I look
3:02 forward to hopefully some
3:04 positive outcomes. Thank you
3:08 very much.
3:08 Thanks, councilman. Ruler
3:09 turned over to counsel member
3:09 janowicz. Thank you. Chair?
3:12 Not just for allowing me t
3:13 ospeak, but for the joy of
3:15 being here at this committee
3:17 hearing today. You're so happy
3:19 to have you here. I'm happy t
3:23 obe here et me, you know as one
3:25 of the auto industry auto
3:27 insurance is his mandatory in
3:29 New York, there's no office or
3:32 official that exclusively
3:33 represents consumer interests
3:34 to the New York state
3:35 department of financial
3:38 services. This means that at a
3:39 time when insurance rates have
3:40 skyrocketed nationally,
3:41 there's no body insurers
3:43 proposed rate hikes through
3:45 the lens of consumer advocacy.
3:48 This shortcoming proves
3:48 especially dire as New yorkers
3:49 face an average annual premium
3:51 of $4223, which is nearly
3:55 twice the national average
3:58 ,moreover, does not published
3:59 information on insurance
4:02 premiums to private consumers
4:03 of much needed transparency
4:04 when selecting a plan. New
4:08 yorkers are disempowered,
4:08 unable to comparison. Shopper
4:10 assess the fairness o
4:10 fincrease in their coverage
4:11 ,and that is why we are passing
4:14 resolution three d nine, whic
4:16 hcalls on the state to pas
4:17 ssenate bill 11 96, also known
4:19 as the automobile consumer
4:23 information act. This bill
4:24 would require to publish
4:26 automobile insurance premium
4:27 and complaint information on
4:29 its website, enabling
4:31 consumers to compare plans and
4:33 encouraging competition based
4:33 both on costs and quality of
4:37 coverage. It would also
4:37 establish an office of
4:39 insurance consumer advocate to
4:40 represent consumer's interests
4:43 before jeffs to request
4:44 hearings surrounding rate
4:47 increases. Furthermore,
4:47 municipalities competition for
4:48 rate reductions and insurance
4:50 and insurers would be required
4:53 to justify a and folly
4:55 standardized format in rate
4:56 applications, allowing for
4:57 more effective public
5:01 oversight
5:01 . As our City faces an
5:02 affordability crisis, it's
5:03 essential that we act to help
5:04 reduce costs of necessities
5:05 wherever we can. Car insurance
5:08 has become far too burdensom
5:10 eon the average working New
5:11 yorker and it's our
5:12 responsibility to take action
5:13 and I think my colleagues for
5:15 their vote on this resolution
5:16 today. Thank you, chair. Thank
5:20 you. Councilmember generates.
5:21 I'd do. I know you, our other
5:22 colleagues have any other
5:22 statements to make? No. Okay,
5:26 we have no other statements to
5:28 make. We are joined by council
5:31 member a Hanks and I think at
5:33 this point, we are ready to g
5:35 oto a roll call vote in five.
5:49 Four. Appreciate it. Thank you
5:49 . Good morning, william martin
5:50 committee clark roll call vot
5:52 ecommittee on consumer and
5:56 worker protection chair
5:56 Epstein. Yes, and all Brewer
6:03 by
6:03 . De La Rosa high vote I
6:11 Krishnan, I.
6:12 O. C. Shulman. I know. Push.
6:25 Thanks. Ah, I thank you.
6:31 Fallible I and all Wilson eye
6:35 on all arriola
6:41 . With the vote of nine in the
6:43 affirmative negative and
6:44 obsessions items have been
6:45 approved by the committee
6:47 . Hearing are no further items
6:48 . This committee is adjourned
6:54 here. Thank you. Yes,
7:02 especially mom booker, I guess
7:05 . Yeah, I know this is under
7:06 us or not. So when they have,
7:09 like