Senate Bill No. 181

(By Senators Kessler (Mr. President), Unger, Stollings and Wills)

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[Introduced January 13, 2012; referred to the Committee on Banking and Insurance.]

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A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §33-17-13, relating to requiring insurance companies to indicate on fire insurance customer bills the amount of increased cost that would exist if not for the existence of a local fire department.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §33-17-13, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 17. FIRE AND MARINE INSURANCE.

§33-17-13. Requirement that billing statement reflect increased cost that would exist but for existence of local fire department.

    In any billing statement submitted to an insured for payment of a premium due under a policy of fire insurance, covering property located in West Virginia, the insurer shall indicate the increased cost that the fire insurance would cost, except for the existence of the local fire department, whether the department is voluntary or professional.

    NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require insurance companies to reflect on billing statements the increased cost of fire insurance in the event no local fire department existed.

    This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.