Posted: 3/14/2006
NAMIC Urges Virginia Governor to Sign Towing and Recovery Operators Legislation
INDIANAPOLIS (March 14, 2006)—The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) has asked Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to sign into law Senate Bill 134, a bill that establishes new standards and procedures for towing and recovery operators in the Commonwealth.
In a March 10 letter to the governor, Senior State Affairs Manager David Reddick said SB 134 will not only raise the professional standards of towing and recovery operators, but it should “go a long way to reduce the frustration that Virginia motorists and insurance companies have experienced in the past over not knowing where vehicles were towed to or why such exorbitant fees were often charged to keep the vehicles in storage facilities.”
Among other things, SB 134 creates a Board to license and regulate towing and recovery operators, sets out clear procedures for the towing and storing of vehicles, and fair compensation levels for the businesses to follow.
SB 134 was one of several insurance-related bills enacted by the Virginia Legislature before it adjourned on Saturday. The other bills include:
- House Bill 261, which sets up a process for insurance producers who fail to submit proof of compliance with their continuing education requirements;
- House Bill 744, which allows local building officials to continue an enforcement action against the owner of a building or structure even if that owner subsequently transfers more than 50 percent of the ownership interest;
- Senate Bill 89, which requires manufacturers of new motor vehicles equipped with a recording device and sold or leased in the Commonwealth to disclose that fact in the owner's manual for that vehicle, beginning with the 2008 models; and
- Senate Bill 271, which allows a public body to purchase, at its own expense, an owner-controlled insurance program in connection with any public construction contract meeting defined criteria.
The Virginia Legislature adjourned its 60-day session without reaching agreement on a state budget or a transportation plan. Lawmakers will return to Richmond on March 27 to resume debate on those issues.
A link to the NAMIC letter to Gov. Kaine can be found at NAMIC Online.
For further information, contact
Rick Nelson, APR, CAE
(317) 875-5250 Tel
(317) 879-8408 Fax
rnelson@namic.org