A3172A

The Senate passed A3172A, an act to amend the Insurance Law to make vehicle identification photo inspections optional rather than mandatory, on a 53-8 roll call vote. The bill would allow insurers to waive the requirement for photo inspections of vehicles, a practice mandated since 1977. The measure was originally vetoed by the Governor last year but was included in the state budget with a five-year sunset provision. Supporters, including sponsor Sen. Breslin, argued the requirement is outdated and burdensome to consumers in an era of advanced fraud detection. Opponents, led by Sen. Murray, cited data from Massachusetts showing that making inspections optional resulted in an 87 percent drop in inspections, a 55 percent increase in collision claims, and a 61 percent spike in insurance premiums. They also raised concerns about job losses for small inspection businesses and potential increases in insurance fraud. An amendment by Sen. Martins to repeal congestion pricing was ruled nongermane and out of order. Eight senators voted against the bill: Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Lanza, Martinez, Mattera, Murray, Palumbo, Rhoads, and Weik.