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
The Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection, chaired by Council Member Harvey D. Epstein, met to vote on legislation addressing the rising cost of insurance in New York. The agenda included Introduction 685 by the Speaker creating an Office of Insurance Accountability, Resolution 307 (Council Member Brewer) urging the State Legislature to pass bills creating an insurance relief fund program for affordable housing, and resolutions calling on the State to pass the Automobile Insurance Consumer Protection Act (including publication of premium information and an insurance consumer advocate) and to cap homeowners insurance rate increases. Council Member Gale A. Brewer spoke in support of her resolution on affordable housing insurance relief, and another sponsor spoke in support of the auto insurance consumer protection resolution. All items were approved by a vote of nine in the affirmative, and the committee adjourned.
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