What's happening
This bill prohibits insurers from discriminating against homeowners based on dog breed, except for officially designated dangerous dogs.
Why it matters
Protects dog owners from insurance discrimination. by ensuring that insurers cannot deny, cancel, or raise premiums on homeowners' insurance solely because of the breed or mix of breed of a dog, reducing breed-based stigma and financial penalties for responsible pet owners.
Focuses insurance decisions on actual risk. by allowing exceptions only for dogs that have been officially designated as “dangerous dogs” under New York law, ensuring that higher premiums or policy actions are based on behavior and documented incidents rather than stereotypes.
Promotes fairer insurance practices. by requiring any premium increases for dangerous dogs to be based on sound underwriting and actuarial principles, which must relate to real or anticipated loss experience, offering policyholders greater transparency and justification for higher rates.
May encourage adoption and reduce shelter populations. by removing breed-based insurance barriers, potentially making it easier for families to adopt or keep dogs that are often unfairly labeled as high-risk by insurers.
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Who cares
Homeowners who own or harbor dogs
The bill would prohibit insurers from denying or canceling homeowners’ coverage or raising premiums solely because of a dog’s breed or breed mix.
Homeowners’ insurance companies
Insurers would have to comply with the breed-only restriction but could still take coverage or pricing action based on a dangerous-dog designation, subject to underwriting, actuarial and other statutory requirements.
Owners of dogs designated dangerous
The bill would still allow insurers to deny, cancel or refuse to renew coverage, or impose reasonably increased premiums, based on that designation under the stated requirements.
Headline styles
Ban Dog Breed Insurance Bias
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Recommit, enacting clause stricken
- Referred to insurance
- Referred to insurance
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Ban Dog Breed Insurance Bias
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Deborah Glick
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4286
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 6, 2019
Introduced by Sens. LAVALLE, HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to prohibiting insurers from canceling, refusing to issue or renew, or charging higher premiums for homeowners' insurance based on the breed of dog owned
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The insurance law is amended by adding a new section 3421 to read as follows:
§ 3421. Homeowners' liability insurance; dogs. 1. With respect to homeowners' insurance policies as defined in section two thousand three hundred fifty-one of this chapter, no insurer shall refuse to issue or renew, cancel, or charge or impose an increased premium or rate for such policy or contract based solely upon harboring or owning any dog of a specific breed or mixture of breeds.
2. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit an insurer from refusing to issue or renew or from canceling any such contract or policy, nor from imposing a reasonably increased premium or rate for such a policy or contract based upon the designation of a dog of any breed or mixture of breeds as a dangerous dog pursuant to section one hundred twenty-three of the agriculture and markets law, based on sound underwriting and actuarial principles reasonably related to actual or anticipated loss experience subject to the applicable provisions of section three thousand four hundred twenty-five of this article.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law and shall apply to all policies issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05046-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to prohibiting insurers from canceling, refusing to issue or renew, or charging higher premiums for homeowners' insurance based on the breed of dog owned
PURPOSE::
The objective of this legislation is to prevent insurance companies from discriminating against homeowners and renters based on the breed of dog that they own.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
This act would clarify the law in such a manner as to prohibit insurance companies from refusing to issue or renew an insurance policy from canceling a policy and from charging higher premiums based on ownership of a particular breed of dog. However, when there is a 'dangerous dog' finding under the agriculture and markets law, the refusal to issue or renew a policy or imposition of higher premiums would still be permitted as long as such a determination is based upon 'sound underwriting and actuarial principles reasonably related to actual or anticipated loss'. These provisions shall not prohibit an insurer from increasing premium or rate based upon prior paid liability claims if that dog or dogs still reside in the insured's home or household.
JUSTIFICATION::
If a dog had ever attacked and caused injury to a person then there may be a legitimate basis for higher homeowner insurance premiums. However, the current insurance law suggests that the mere ownership of a partic- ular breed of dog is a legitimate basis for higher homeowner insurance premiums. This erroneous practice has placed pet owners in an undeserved bind. While pet owners deserve adequate and affordable homeowner insur- ance, they are unable to obtain it without removing their friendly animal from the family unit.
For years, insurance companies that offer homeowners insurance have avoided loss because of the burglary prevention provided by homeowners' dogs. It is unacceptable that now insurance companies would want the ability to deny overage based on the exact same breed of dog that they may have protected the homeowners and the insurance company from loss.
This bill would uphold the sanctity of the law by ending the discrimi- nation of homeowners based on the breed of dog that they own. As an equal and fair society, it is key that we amend the insurance law to protect the interests of both homeowners and their kind-hearted compan- ion animals.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
2017-18 S.2075/A.4225; 2015-16 S.487/A.3696; 2013-14 S.4822/A.3952; 2012 A.3507A
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:: None to the State.
Effective date
On the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law and shall apply to all policies issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such effective date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.