H. B. 4670


(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, Delegate Thompson)
[Introduced February 27, 1998; referred to the
Committee on Banking and Insurance.]




A BILL to amend article four, chapter thirty-three of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section twenty-one, relating to insurance; requiring certain insurers to offer discounts on fire and homeowners policies based on volunteer fire department fees paid by the insured; and providing for the amount of same.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article four, chapter thirty-three of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section twenty-one, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 4. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
§33-4-21. Discount on certain premiums for payment of volunteer fire department fees.
Notwithstanding any provision of this code or any policy, plan or contract of insurance to the contrary, on and after the effective date of this section, any insurer subject to regulation under this chapter that sells or offers to sell fire or homeowners insurance shall offer discounts with respect to the premiums payable for those policies in proportion to any fees assessed by a West Virginia volunteer fire department and paid by the insured: Provided, That the discount required by this section may not exceed ten percent of the annual premium for the policy.




NOTE: The purpose of this section is to require insurers to offer discounts on fire and homeowners policies based on volunteer fire department fees paid by the insured. It would limit the discount to no more than ten percent of the annual premium for the policy.

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