NY State Senate Bill 2025-S364

Senate Bill S364

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Prohibits restrictions on insurance policies based solely on the policyholder harboring or owning any dog of a specific breed or mixture of breeds

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - On Floor Calendar

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 05, 2025	advanced to third reading
Feb 04, 2025	2nd report cal.
Feb 03, 2025	1st report cal.231
Jan 08, 2025	referred to insurance

Votes

- Feb 3, 2025 - Insurance Committee Vote
  S364
  
  11
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Insurance Committee Vote: Feb 3, 2025
      
      aye (11)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Ashby
      
      Bailey
      
      Cooney
      
      Fernandez
      
      Gounardes
      
      Harckham
      
      Helming
      
      O'Mara
      
      Sanders Jr.
      
      Skoufis

co-Sponsors

2025-S364 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A893
Law Section:: Insurance Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §3421, Ins L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S7416, A6867

2025-S364 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits restrictions on insurance policies based solely on the policyholder harboring or owning any dog of a specific breed or mixture of breeds.

2025-S364 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S364

SPONSOR: GIANARIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to prohibiting certain
restrictions as it relates to dog breed

 
PURPOSE OF BILL:

To ensure that renters are able to secure renters' insurance policies
regardless of the breed of dog owned.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the bill amends Insurance Law § 3421, subdivision 1, by
prohibiting insurers that issue renters' insurance policies from refus-
ing to issue, renew, cancel, charge, or impose an increased premium for
such policy or contract, or exclude, limit, restrict, or reduce coverage
under such policy or contract based solely upon harboring or owning any
dog of a specific breed or mixture of breeds.

Section two of the bill sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Pet owners have long been subject to discrimination by insurance compa-
nies based on the breed of dog they own. Such discrimination may come in
the form of increased premiums, coverage restrictions or denial of an
insurance policy, even if the dog has never been involved in a biting
incident or shown any signs of aggression. These arbitrary restrictions
impede the ability for people to obtain the necessary insurance policy
for their home and are based on myths and stereotypes that suggest
certain breeds are inherently dangerous.

This legislation will ensure that renters, like homeowners, will not
face higher premiums or other obstacles when obtaining a renter's insur-
ance policy simply because of the type of dog they own.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2024: S7416-B (Gianaris) PASSED SENATE / A6867-B (Rosenthal L) ordered
to third reading 2023: S7416-A (Gianaris) died in Insurance / A6867-A
died in insurance

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
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.

2025-S364 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    364
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. GIANARIS, COONEY, SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Insur-
   ance
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend the insurance law, in relation to prohibiting certain
   restrictions as it relates to dog breed

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.    The section heading and subsection 1 of section 3421 of
 the insurance law, the section heading as added by chapter  545  of  the
 laws  of  2021 and subsection 1 as amended by chapter 679 of the laws of
 2022, are amended to read as follows:
   Homeowners' liability insurance AND RENTERS' INSURANCE; dogs.  1. With
 respect to homeowners' insurance policies  as  defined  in  section  two
 thousand  three hundred fifty-one of this chapter AND RENTERS' INSURANCE
 POLICIES AS DEFINED IN SECTION THREE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR 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, or exclude, limit, restrict, or  reduce  coverage  under  such
 policy  or  contract  based solely upon harboring or owning any dog of a
 specific breed or mixture of breeds.
   § 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, modi-
 fied, 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.
                                                            LBD00741-01-5

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Senate Bill S364

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Sponsored By

Michael Gianaris