CT
Connecticut Senate Bill SB01386

Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01386 Compare Versions

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3-LCO 1 of 3
3+LCO No. 5202 1 of 3
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5-General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 1386
5+General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1386
66 January Session, 2025
7+LCO No. 5202
8+
9+
10+Referred to Committee on INSURANCE AND REAL ESTATE
11+
12+
13+Introduced by:
14+(INS)
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816
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11-
12-AN ACT CONCERNING DOG BREED AND THERAPY ANIMALS IN
13-INSURANCE UNDERWRITING AND EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY
14-OF ESTABLISHING A PENALTY FOR MISREPRESENTING A DOG AS
15-A SERVICE ANIMAL.
19+AN ACT CONCERNING DOG BREED IN INSURANCE UNDERWRITING
20+AND EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A PENALTY
21+FOR MISREPRESENTING A DOG AS A SERVICE ANIMAL.
1622 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
1723 Assembly convened:
1824
1925 Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) No insurer that delivers, 1
2026 issues for delivery, renews, amends or endorses a homeowners or 2
2127 tenants insurance policy in this state on or after October 1, 2025, shall 3
22-charge an increased premium for such policy or cancel, refuse to renew, 4
23-refuse to issue, exclude, limit, restrict or reduce coverage under such 5
24-policy solely on the basis of the breed of dog or mixture of breed of dog 6
25-owned or harbored by the insured or applicant. 7
26-(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, 8
27-any insurer may cancel, refuse to issue or refuse to renew any 9
28-homeowners or tenants insurance policy or impose a reasonably 10
29-increased premium for such a policy based on the designation of an 11
30-individual dog of any breed or mixture of breeds as a dangerous dog, as 12
31-determined by underwriting and actuarial principles reasonably 13
32-derived from the actual loss experience of such insurer with such 14
33-individual dog and any anticipated loss given such loss experience. 15
34-(c) The Insurance Commissioner may adopt regulations, in 16 Substitute Bill No. 1386
28+charge an increased premium for such policy or cancel, refuse to renew 4
29+or refuse to issue such policy solely on the basis of the breed of dog or 5
30+mixture of breed of dog owned or harbored by the insured or applicant. 6
31+(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, 7
32+any insurer may cancel, refuse to issue or refuse to renew any 8
33+homeowners or tenants insurance policy or impose a reasonably 9
34+increased premium for such a policy based on the designation of an 10
35+individual dog of any breed or mixture of breeds as a dangerous dog, as 11
36+determined by underwriting and actuarial principles reasonably 12
37+derived from the actual loss experience of such insurer with such 13
38+individual dog and any anticipated loss given such loss experience. 14
39+Raised Bill No. 1386
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37-LCO 2 of 3
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39-accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to 17
40-implement the provisions of this section. 18
41-Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) Except as provided in subsection 19
42-(b) of section 1 of this act, no insurer that delivers, issues for delivery, 20
43-renews, amends or endorses a homeowners or tenants insurance policy 21
44-in this state on or after October 1, 2025, shall establish rates or minimum 22
45-premiums for such policy or cancel, refuse to renew or refuse to issue 23
46-such policy solely on the basis of (1) the breed of dog owned by the 24
47-insured or the applicant, with respect to any dog that is a dog trained or 25
48-being trained as a service animal to assist blind, deaf or mobility 26
49-impaired persons, or (2) the ownership of a therapy animal by such 27
50-insured or applicant. As used in this section, "service animal" has the 28
51-same meaning as provided in section 22-345 of the general statutes, and 29
52-"therapy animal" has the same meaning as provided in section 17a-22ee 30
53-of the general statutes. 31
54-Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) The Commission on Human Rights and 32
55-Opportunities shall evaluate the feasibility of establishing a penalty for 33
56-intentional misrepresentation of a dog as a service animal to gain 34
57-accommodations under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 35
58-1990, 42 USC 12101, as amended from time to time. Not later than 36
59-February 1, 2026, the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities 37
60-shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 38
61-general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General 39
62-Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and 40
63-the judiciary on any statistics or other information concerning the 41
64-establishment of such penalty. For the purposes of this section, "service 42
65-animal" has the same meaning as provided in section 22-345 of the 43
66-general statutes. 44
43+LCO No. 5202 2 of 3
44+
45+(c) The Insurance Commissioner may adopt regulations, in 15
46+accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to 16
47+implement the provisions of this section. 17
48+Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) Except as provided in subsection 18
49+(b) of section 1 of this act, no insurer that delivers, issues for delivery, 19
50+renews, amends or endorses a homeowners or tenants insurance policy 20
51+in this state on or after October 1, 2025, shall establish rates or minimum 21
52+premiums for such policy or cancel, refuse to renew or refuse to issue 22
53+such policy on the basis of the breed of dog owned by the insured or the 23
54+applicant, with respect to any dog that is a dog trained or being trained 24
55+as a service animal to assist blind, deaf or mobility impaired persons. As 25
56+used in this section, "service animal" has the same meaning as provided 26
57+in section 22-345 of the general statutes. 27
58+Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) The Commission on Human Rights and 28
59+Opportunities shall evaluate the feasibility of establishing a penalty for 29
60+intentional misrepresentation of a dog as a service animal to gain 30
61+accommodations under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 31
62+1990, 42 USC 12101, as amended from time to time. Not later than 32
63+February 1, 2026, the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities 33
64+shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 34
65+general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General 35
66+Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and 36
67+the judiciary on any statistics or other information concerning the 37
68+establishment of such penalty. For the purposes of this section, "service 38
69+animal" has the same meaning as provided in section 22-345 of the 39
70+general statutes. 40
6771 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
6872 sections:
6973
7074 Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
7175 Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 New section
72-Sec. 3 from passage New section Substitute Bill No. 1386
76+Sec. 3 from passage New section
77+
78+Raised Bill No. 1386
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75-LCO 3 of 3
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82+LCO No. 5202 3 of 3
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78-INS Joint Favorable Subst.
84+Statement of Purpose:
85+To: (1) Prohibit any homeowners insurance or tenants insurance policy
86+from discriminating based on (A) harboring or owning any dog of a
87+specific breed or mixture of breeds, or (B) owning any dog that is a dog
88+trained or being trained as a service animal to assist blind, deaf or
89+mobility impaired persons; and (2) require the Commission on Human
90+Rights and Opportunities to evaluate the feasibility of establishing a
91+penalty for intentional misrepresentation of a dog as a service animal to
92+gain accommodations under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act
93+of 1990.
94+
95+[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
96+that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
97+underlined.]
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