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Professional insurance agents magazine4

president’s message

New York State anti-arson legislationThis past September, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed A.6017/S.6010 into law. This legislation effectively removed the requirement for anti-arson applications for the city of Buffalo by making the existing law, “applicable to only cities with a popula-tion over one million persons” based on the 1970 census. This amendment left only two cities that require anti-arson applications: New York City (based on popula-tion) and Rochester (due to its opting to adopt this legislation in 1982).

PIANY was instrumental in the passage of this legislation and I am proud to have been a member of the team that worked to make this happen. PIA encourages all of our members to visit and establish relationships with our New York state delegates to the Assembly and Senate. You never know when it will pay off. This time it did.

A little historyAssemblyman Sean Ryan, D-149, contacted PIANY early this year and he asked to meet with us to discuss the anti-arson application requirements in Buffalo. In response, Matthew F. Guilbault, PIA’s director of Government & Industry Affairs; Pat Zlogar, the Roffe Group (our legis-lative representative); PIANY Board Member Eric Clauss, and I met with Assemblyman Ryan in his Albany office on March 29, 2017, to discuss the merits of eliminating the anti-arson application. We agreed that this was the right thing to do and then strategized to determine the appro-priate Republican to sponsor the bill in the Senate. The consensus was that Assemblyman Ryan would approach Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer, R-61. We were fortunate to have two sponsoring delegates who have worked together on past issues; know and respect PIA; and supported our past initiatives. We visit them every year.

This next phase moved unusually fast. The bill passed the Assembly on June 6 and it passed the Senate on June 15. The legislation was delivered to Gov. Cuomo on Aug. 31 and it was signed into law Sept. 12.

We announced this success to our members in September, and I sent personal letters to Ryan and Ranzenhofer, along with all our other 16 Western New York delegates, thanking them for their support of the bills.

Next stepsNext PIANY decided to see if it could eliminate the anti-arson application requirement in the city of Rochester. PIANY is not registered to lobby municipalities; therefore, we had to find a way to legally approach the Rochester City Council. Guilbault was instrumental in providing documents related to Rochester’s original opt-in to the anti-arson applica-tion legislation. He also provided us with the New York State Department of Financial Services’ requirements and the proper contact person at NYDFS who should receive the opt-out petition. It was now up to PIANY members to do the grassroots work.

Fortunately, my agency, Lawley, has an office in downtown Rochester. I reviewed the process with our branch partner and PIA member, Phil Andolina, and sent him a list of City Council members and I was thrilled to learn that he had a good relationship with a council member. Next we assembled the necessary documents; provided the history and asked the City Council members to consider whether Rochester could opt out of the anti-arson application requirements.

Fred Holender, CLU, CPCU, ChFC, MSFS

pianY president

(L-r) pianY Board member eric Clauss; assemblyman ryan; and Holender.

president’s message

All the City Council members agreed that the anti-arson application was no longer relevant and voted unanimously on Nov. 14 to move forward with a formal petition to opt out of the anti-arson application requirements. The formal process should be completed by the time this article is released.

“The timely information provided by PIANY’s president and excellent communication from Phil Andolina of Lawley was instrumental in raising the issue of the anti-arson legislation, which will result in cost savings and efficiencies for so many of our residents and businesses. I am always grateful for these relationships and the outcomes that are achieved when we work together on behalf of those we serve,” said Rochester City Councilwoman Elaine Spaull.

PIA members at workThis legislative initiative on the state and local levels was completed successfully in a short period of time—it’s an example of everything falling into place in the perfect sequence at the perfect time. We had a state legislator with a personal interest in the issue; great relationships with our Assemblyman and Senator; a well-respected lobbyist; and a talented and respected PIA staff who knew what to do and who to approach. We also have good relationships with local government leaders who are committed to their community.

Although we accept that most of our legislative initiatives do not fall into place as quickly or easily, it is gratifying to know that there are cases in which the private-public relationships can result in good experiences. This anti-arson appli-cation legislation benefits property owners, carriers and agents. A few dedicated and persistent people can make things happen. I’m proud of the professionalism and reputation of PIA and am grateful to have the opportunity to be involved on your behalf.

Sincerely,

Fred Holender, CLU, CPCU, ChFC, MSFS

PIANY President

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