Declarations

Cell bill on hold

“People are getting killed every day. There is no freedom or right to use a cell phone and put another person at risk.”

Robert Conroy, a Florida motorcycle rider, after his state’s lawmakers tabled a bill to regulate the use of cell phones by motorists. The measure would have made it illegal to talk on a cell phone or send text messages while driving.

Florida competition

“Insurers don’t mind competition, but oppose operating in an environment where the state does not have to play by the same rules as private market insurers. Through its tax-exempt status and artificially suppressed rates, Citizens can undercut the private market. This environment does not encourage insurers to come back into an already troubled market. ”

William Stander, of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, objecting to Senate Bill 2498 passed by the Senate Insurance Committee. The bill would make it easier for the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to compete with the private market by allowing consumers to be covered if a private insurer is more than 15 percent higher than comparable coverage from Citizens.