07 May 2008

obtuse trial lawyer; democrat chris roy jr votes to increase louisianaians insurance premiums and imperils safety by ensuring more uninsured drivers

UPDATE: state house passes baton rouge rino erich ponti's hb1312 - click to see if your house member sold you out.

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last year we had to put up with lafayette rino mike michot's sb223 to which, thankfully, then governor kathleen babineaux blanco promptly affixed her veto.

this year we have to contend with
baton rouge rino erich ponti and his hb1312.

notice how the guy from the louisiana association of fire and causality companies was against this bill yet this bunch of jerk-offs on the house insurance committee go ahead and voted for it anyway. unfreakingbelieveable!

times-picayune excerpt:
House Bill 1312 by Rep. Erich Ponti, R-Baton Rouge, would raise the existing limits of $10,000 for property damage to vehicles and the death or injury of one person in an accident to $25,000; the $20,000 limit for multiple deaths or injuries of more than one person in an accident would increase to $50,000. Ponti, conceding the new limits could increase premiums by $200 to $400 a year, said the law has not been changed since 1984 when the existing limits were set. He said a new car cost $10,600 in the mid-1980s and today the average auto costs almost $21,600.

"This will increase the cost of insurance for a select part of the driving public," Ponti said.

"I have to go home and tell my constituents I voted for an insurance rate increase" if the bill passes, said Rep. Tom McVea, R-St. Francisville, a member of the panel who voted against it.

J.E. Brignac, who represents the Louisiana Association of Fire and Casualty Companies, said the minimal coverage increase will hit about 1.5 million Louisiana drivers. Some minimally-inured drivers, he said, are now paying $2,000 a year for coverage and will be paying about $2,800 if the bill passes.

"It is not the right time to do this," Brignac said. "We have a disproportionate amount of people now who struggle and live from paycheck to paycheck."

But Rep. Chris Roy Jr., D-Alexandria, said that in an accident with an injury, some emergency room tests costs $6,000 to $8,000 alone now.

Joining Roy in voting for the bill were Reps. Page Cortez, R-Lafayette; Albert "AB" Franklin, D-Lake Charles; Juan LaFonta, D-New Orleans; Kevin Pearson, R-Slidell; and Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge. Besides McVea, the only other vote against the bill came from Rep. Andy Anders, D-Ferriday. Rep. Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, the panel's chairman, did not vote. ~ read more

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