Legislative session in 2020 was anything but usual, with many starts and stops and limited policy hearings. After COVID-19 forced everyone to change the way they lived and worked, legislators were told to only put forward their most pressing bills. Only 428 bills made it to Governor Newsom’s desk in 2020, compared to 1,042 bills that he acted upon in 2019. In 2021, PIFC expects Capitol staff to continue to work remotely as much as possible, with limited staff in the Capitol building and social distancing in place when meeting in person. However, we do believe there will be a return to normal regarding the amount of bills put forward, and we fully expect there to be numerous aggressive bills aimed at the insurance industry. PIFC staff is closely monitoring any new bills that may be of interest to our industry.
Legislators were sworn in on December 7 but will not formally reconvene until January 11. February 19 is the last day that bills can be introduced, however, spot bills and minor amendments will be accepted through March. The first three months of the year are typically when PIFC staff are working to limit or eliminate any potentially harmful bills and identify any bills that would warrant industry support. This year, though working remotely, PIFC staff has already initiated the normal processes of communication with legislators and their staff to get a sense of what may be coming.
