Contact Your Senator and Oppose HB1241

The Indiana House of Representatives has recently passed House Bill 1241, a bill sponsored by the Indiana Insurance Institute and written by a legislator who is an insurance agent. The bill has serious flaws and is designed to pre-empt 20 years of Indiana Courts’ decisions, dictate what the term “pollutant” is, and bar coverage.

If passed, this bill would not only make it difficult for Indiana business owners to use historical insurance policies to cover things such as the high costs associated with environmental investigation and remediation, but it could be financially devastating to those who might not be able to fall back on these policies at all. Properties impacted by contaminants may lay dormant for decades before funds could be found to pay for a cleanup. Businesses might have to close their doors or declare bankruptcy due to the inability to sell environmentally impacted properties and businesses, and even this would not protect them from their duty to address such contamination. In addition to small and large business owners alike relying on these policies, the state of Indiana also relies on these funds to ensure that impacted properties don’t end up sitting idle or being paid for by tax-payer money.

We are strongly opposed to this bill and think our clients and friends should be, too. NOW is the time to contact the members on the Insurance Committee as well as your Senator. Below is a link to a form letter that you can download, sign and send to your senator urging them to vote “No,” on House Bill 1241. Please join us in making sure that people’s hard-earned businesses aren’t wiped out by insurance companies’ lobbyists.

The Senate Insurance Committee has scheduled this bill for hearing next Thursday, February 20, 2014, at 10 a.m. in Room 130 at the Statehouse.  We would like to line up key businesses, associations, cities and towns, etc. to testify in opposition to the legislation, including coordinating testimony. Please contact us if you’re interested in testifying.

If you haven’t made contact with your Senator to oppose HB1241, please download the PDF version of the letter below.

You can use this link to search for your Senator.

 

Pages from HB 1241 Letter to State Senators

 

Below is a list of entities who are opposed to this bill. If you would like to go on record as showing opposition to this bill, please contact us at (317) 972-7870:

 

Eli Lilly and Company

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

Vectren Corporation

Co-Alliance LLP

Technicolor USA Inc.

 

Indiana Manufacturers Association

Indiana Association of Cities and Towns

Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce

Indiana Solid Waste Management Association

Indiana Trial Lawyers Association

Midwest Drycleaning and Laundry Association

Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association

 

City of Indianapolis

City of South Bend

City of Evansville

City of Anderson

City of Kokomo

City of Marion

City of Warsaw

City of Elkhart

City of Winchester

City of Wabash

City of Angola

City of Marion

Michigan City

City of Whiting

 

Irvington Development Organization

Westside Community Development Corporation

Riley Area Development Corporation

Englewood Community Development Corporation

Local Initiatives Support Corporation

 

Ricker Oil

Herdrich Petroleum

Freedom Oil

G&G Oil

McIntosh Energy Co., Inc.

Kiel Bros.

Good Oil Company

MDK Corp.

Brown, Inc.

Ddalt Corporation

Bulk Transport Corp

Metal Forming Industries

Wayne Metal

Armstrong Cleaners, Inc.

Thompson Thrift Development

Clayton’s Commercial  Laundry

Busler Enterprises

Don’s Cleaners

Don Meyer Ford

Kalb & Kalb, Inc.

Greystoke Capital

Peerless Cleaners

Grassco

Lougheed Engineering

Burns Environmental Engineering, Inc.

Warsaw Chemical Company

Harrison Corporation

Popoff Cleaners

 

Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP

Nelson Law Group LLC

Kahn Dees Donovan & Kahn, LLP

Attorney David C. Appel

Matthew Cockrell & Associates

 

Active Environmental Services, Inc.

Aegis Environmental

SurePoint Environmental Associates

Troy Risk, Inc.

Keramida, Inc.

Creek Run, LLC

Wilcox Environmental

EnviroForensics, Inc.

SESCO Group

Mundell & Associates

Bruce Carter Associates

Capital Environmental Services, Inc.

Restorical Research LLC