Commissioner Hershman Joins Big I Connecticut for Capitol Roundtable Discussions
Big I Connecticut hosted its annual Morning at the Capitol in Hartford this week, highlighted by a 60-minute meeting with new Connecticut Insurance Department Commissioner Josh Hershman. The event was well attended by members and carrier partners and began with a networking breakfast followed by roundtable discussions. Participants engaged with State Representatives Kerry Wood (co-chair of the Insurance & Real Estate Committee), Tom Delnicki, and Nick Menapace, before sitting down with Commissioner Hershman. Conversations were productive and provided a valuable opportunity for policymakers to hear directly from independent agents.
Key topics included support for studying and regulating third-party litigation financing; streamlining access to the excess and surplus lines market by eliminating the diligent effort requirement and expanding the exportable list; and backing Rep. Wood’s legislation to strengthen consumer protections around assignment of benefits, particularly in response to misleading roofing solicitations.
Attendees also discussed concerns about proposed restrictions on noncompete agreements as well as the impact of Medicare Advantage commission structures being reduced to 0%, which places a significant burden on agents and consumers. While a federal issue, it was raised with the Commissioner given actions taken in other states regarding carrier tactics.
Additionally, we discussed the Connecticut Insurance Department’s FirstStreet climate risk mapping tool, thanking Commissioner Hershman and the Department for their leadership in making this resource available. Big I Connecticut is partnering with the Department to host educational sessions on how agents can use the tool with their customers, as well as programming on the Fortified roofing standard. Risk mitigation remains a central focus of our work, and we appreciate the Department’s strong commitment to this area.
The event concluded with a tour of the State Capitol. We thank all attendees for their engagement and advocacy on behalf of independent agents and their customers.
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