CONN. DOG BILL WOULD MUZZLE INSURERS:

Led by Connecticut state Rep. Melissa Olson whose home insurance was cancelled because she owns a dog, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill that bans insurance companies from refusing coverage based only on dog breed. The bill passed on a 77-70 vote and is awaiting action in the Senate. The bill does allow insurers, however, to use breed when underwriting a homeowner’s or renter’s policy. For example, they could require owners of particular breeds to have their animals neutered or take the dogs to obedience training. It is part of an effort to reduce the possibility of the dogs biting someone.

Rep. Robert Megna, D-New Haven, the bill’s main proponent, said five of the top 10 homeowner’s insurance companies will not issue policies to people who own particular breeds of dogs, such as pit bulls and Rottweilers. Of the remaining five companies, some have breed-based underwriting criteria, such as requiring the dog to be contained in a secure, fenced-in yard. Megna said such breed blacklisting hurts the responsible dog owners. He said they are sometimes unable to obtain regular homeowners insurance and are forced to pay exorbitant rates in alternative insurance markets.

But many legislators said it is unfair for the Connecticut General Assembly to restrict private insurance companies from making decisions on who gets coverage and at what rates based on a risk evaluation. “If you have a pit bull versus a Chihuahua, or a floppy-eared beagle, you can make no distinction of that. That’s what this law says,” said Rep. Lawrence Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk. “It’s contrary, in my humble opinion, to every principle of insurance that we have allowed.”