S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  8417--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             November 8, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. CRUZ, FERNANDEZ, STERN, BURDICK, SIMON, DARLING,
   McDONOUGH -- read once and referred to the Committee on  Insurance  --
   recommitted  to the Committee on Insurance in accordance with Assembly
   Rule  3,  sec.  2  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  insurance law, in relation to homeowner natural
   disaster preparedness, home safety and loss prevention courses
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subparagraphs 3 and 4 of paragraph (a) and paragraph (d) of
 subsection 5 of section 2346 of the insurance law, as added by section 2
 of  part  BB  of  chapter  54 of the laws of 2016, are amended and a new
 paragraph (e) is added to read as follows:
   (3) "Homeowner natural disaster preparedness,  home  safety  and  loss
 prevention  course"  means  a natural disaster preparedness, home safety
 and loss prevention course that has been submitted to the superintendent
 for [their information and review] APPROVAL by an applicant,  AND  WHICH
 HAS  BEEN  APPROVED  BY THE SUPERINTENDENT, PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (D) OF
 THIS SUBSECTION.  Such course [may] SHALL provide useful information  to
 participants  on  items including, but not limited to: courses of action
 that can be taken before, during and after the occurrence of  a  natural
 disaster,  strategies  to  reduce  risk  exposure to insured residential
 property owners and renters, and information about the  installation  of
 equipment,  devices or other capital improvements to real property which
 can help to eliminate or mitigate damage to real or  personal  property,
 personal  injury  or  the  loss  of life caused by a natural disaster or
 other insurable event or occurrence of a fire, theft, burglary, personal
 injury or property damage.
   (4) "Applicant" means an insurer,  or  any  other  person,  agency  or
 organization   which  submits  a  proposed  homeowner  natural  disaster
 preparedness, home safety and loss prevention course to the  superinten-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13393-02-2
              

 A. 8417--A                          2
 
 dent  for  [their information and review] APPROVAL PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH
 (D) OF THIS SUBSECTION, and who or which is prepared and able  to  offer
 such course to insureds upon the approval thereof.
   (d)  The superintendent may establish, by rule or otherwise, standards
 or guidelines to be  used  by  the  superintendent  when  reviewing  the
 proposed  homeowner  natural disaster preparedness, home safety and loss
 prevention courses.  EVERY SUCH COURSE SUBMITTED BY AN APPLICANT TO  THE
 SUPERINTENDENT  FOR  APPROVAL  MUST  BE REVIEWED AND SHALL BE SUBJECT TO
 APPROVAL BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.
   (E) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ISSUE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR THE HOMEOWN-
 ER NATURAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, HOME SAFETY AND LOSS PREVENTION COURS-
 ES DESCRIBED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION. ON OR BEFORE MARCH FIRST,  TWO
 THOUSAND  TWENTY-THREE,  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR STATE
 FUNDING IN ORDER  TO  EFFECTUATE  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  THIS  SUBSECTION;
 PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT  NO EXPENDITURE SHALL BE MADE UNTIL THE SUPER-
 INTENDENT HAS APPROVED A PROGRAM AND FISCAL PLAN FOR  HOMEOWNER  NATURAL
 DISASTER  PREPAREDNESS,  HOME  SAFETY AND LOSS PREVENTION COURSES.  SUCH
 PLAN SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING:  (1)  SPECIFIC
 CRITERIA  TO BE APPLIED IN EVALUATING THE REQUESTS FOR PROPOSAL; AND (2)
 UNIFORM COURSE AND COST STANDARDS.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
 ing  the date on which it shall have become a law.  Effective immediate-
 ly, the addition, amendment and/or repeal  of  any  rule  or  regulation
 necessary  for  the implementation of this act on its effective date are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.