Rep. Nuccio Applauds Advancement of Legislation that Would Prohibit Discrimination in Insurance Underwriting Based on Dog Breeds

HARTFORD – Rep. Tammy Nuccio, R-Tolland, applauded the advancement of H.B. 6635, “An Act Prohibiting Discrimination in Insurance Underwriting Based on the Breed of a Homeowner’s Dog,” which received unanimous bipartisan support earlier this month from the Insurance and Real Estate Commission.

Rep. Nuccio proposed, co-sponsored and promoted the legislation, which would “prohibit homeowners’ insurance and renters’ insurance policies from discriminating based on harboring or owning any dog of a specific breed or mixture of breeds.”

“This bill would require insurers to base their costs on the actual behavior of the dog, rather than unfairly assigning a higher cost based on the breed of the dog,” said Rep. Tammy Nuccio. “The legislation considers the history of the dog and its possible propensity to have behavioral issues, not its specific breed – there’s no reason to punish the owners of good dogs. I was proud to champion legislation that would remove this discrimination and with the bipartisan support that is already behind it, this bill can advance into law.”

The bill, modeled on similar legislation composed by the National Council of Insurance Legislators, would prevent insurers from increasing the costs of policies based on specific dog breeds. Rep. Nuccio, who is a member of the national council, also co-sponsored the model legislation that H.B. 6635 is based on.

A recording of the meeting can be viewed here. The legislation has been referred to the Judiciary Committee for further review.

Rep. Nuccio can be contacted at Tammy.Nuccio@housegop.ct.gov or (800) 842-1423 with any questions or concerns related to state government. You can also follow her legislative activity by visiting her website, www.cthousegop.com/Nuccio or on Facebook by clicking here.