Texans across the political spectrum are against The Blue Tarp Bills. The bills are a giveaway to insurance companies, striping policyholders of their legal protections and making it even easier for insurers to deny, delay, and underpay the valid claims of property owners. The Texas House will debate this dangerous legislation as early as this Thursday.
Phantom Policies are haunting Texas roads, making dangerous conditions for all drivers. These policies create gaps in coverage by excluding coverage for household members who are not specifically listed in a policy. This practice not only harms the policyholder who often believes they're covered but any third party involved in a crash. Today, 1.5 million Texans are driving with Phantom Policies and as such, only have phantom policy.
HB 1774 and SB 10, more aptly referred to as the Blue Tarp Bills, reduce incentives for insurers to pay valid claims on time and in full. By slashing the penalty for insurers that delay and underpay Texas families, businesses, churches, and schools from 18% to 10%, the bills are a giveaway for insurers. The illicit profits they would make from slow-paying their customers would be...pure gravy.
Sign the petition to preserve policyholder protections here.
The Supreme Court of Texas, long known as a business-oriented court, recently decided a landmark insurance case that provides clarity for insurance companies and policyholders, removing any argument for the Blue Tarp Bills (HB 1774 & SB 10).
The Texas Senate Business & Commerce Committee voted 7-1 today to approve SB 10, one of the Blue Tarp Bills being pushed by the property insurance industry and their colleagues at TLR.
Texas Watch Executive Director Ware Wendell released the following statement: "This legislation threatens every property owner in this state. It is a giveaway to insurance companies at the expense of Texas families, businesses, churches, and schools. Lawmakers should represent their constituents, not the insurance industry."
Phantom policies are haunting Texas roads. HB 915 will remove these dangerous junk policies and it's critical that your legislator hears your voice. Take these few simple steps below to call your Texas State Representative in support of HB 915 by Representative Ed Thompson:
1) Look up who represents you at: http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/find-your-representative/
2) Input your address and press "Find Rep"
Ware Wendell, Executive Director of Texas Watch, a non-partisan citizen advocacy organization that works to protect policyholders, released the following statement regarding HB 1774, one of the Blue Tarp Bills, which passed the House Committee on Insurance today on a 6-3 vote:
Texas Watch testified against HB 1774, one of the Blue Tarp Bills, at the House Insurance Committee hearing this week. Watch and read Executive Director Ware Wendell's testimony below. Then, please take one minute to sign the petition to preserve policyholder protections here.
Texas lawmakers are one step closer to clearing road blocks to a #SafeTexas. Yesterday, the House Insurance Committee unanimously approved HB 915, which would remove dangerous phantom insurance policies from Texas roads.
We entrust our medical care to professionals. Often, these professionals save lives. But sometimes this trust is violated and precious lives are ended or changed forever through carelessness or incompetence. When this happens, in the quest for accountability, the question arises: What is that person’s life worth?
