Weekly Roundup: Lawmakers Kill “Polluters Pay” Bill While Voters are Overwhelmed by Rising Home Insurance Costs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2026
Contact: contact@insurancefairnessproject.com
Weekly Roundup: Lawmakers Kill “Polluters Pay” Bill While Voters are Overwhelmed by Rising Home Insurance Costs
Each week, the Insurance Fairness Project highlights the latest developments in the national climate-driven property insurance crisis. For more insurance updates, follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Bluesky.
1/ HI LAWMAKERS KILL POPULAR BIG OIL ACCOUNTABILITY BILL AMID INDUSTRY OPPOSITION: SB 3000, which would have explicitly authorized new actions by Hawaiʻi’s Attorney General authority to sue Big Oil for climate-related insurance harms, was killed at the last minute in committee Wednesday with several senators abruptly reversing their positions. This was despite strong public support (150+ pages of testimony) and happened after the American Petroleum Institute and the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce submitted 3 pages of testimony in opposition (see pp. 67-69).
National voters and Hawaiʻi voters overwhelmingly support holding fossil fuel companies accountable for the rising cost of home insurance. A recent poll from the Center for Climate Integrity found that 72% of Hawaii voters want the state to do more to address rising insurance costs, and 61% support proposals like SB 3000 to make polluters pay.
Center for Climate Integrity: New poll shows voters are very concerned about rising cost, reduced availability of home insurance in aftermath of climate-driven Maui wildfires.
2/ FLA. VOTERS OVERWHELMED BY RISING COSTS, BLAMING HOME INSURANCE: Florida is ranked the third most expensive state in the nation for home insurance. Almost half of Florida voters worry climate change is making insurance unaffordable. Now a new poll from the James Madison Institute shows 92% of Florida voters are struggling with rising costs, with more voters (24%) citing home insurance as the biggest problem than any other cost.
The James Madison Institute: The James Madison Institute Releases Latest JMI Poll of Florida Voters
Insurance Fairness Project: New Poll Finds Florida Voters Overwhelmed by Rising Costs, and Home Insurance Is to Blame
“Homeownership is supposed to be a pathway to stability. Instead, for too many Floridians, endlessly increasing insurance costs are turning their dream of security for their family into a monthly source of anxiety,” said TJ Helmstetter, a spokesperson for the Insurance Fairness Project. “When so many voters say home insurance is their top housing cost concern, we know we’re in a systemic affordability crisis. Both insurers and policymakers need to take action now to contain the economic damage.”
Insurance Fairness Project (2025): Florida’s Insurance “Recovery” Is a Revolving Door of Failed Firms and Political Favors
3/ L.A. FIRE SURVIVORS STILL WAITING FOR STATE FARM PAYOUTS: In a response to State Farm's "Livin' on a Prayer" Super Bowl ad, Consumer Watchdog and the Eaton Fire Survivors Network launched a new Consumer Alert video, highlighting the continuing difficulties faced by L.A. fire survivors in getting their insurance payouts.
Consumer Watchdog: Consumer Alert: State Farm: 4 in 5 Fire Survivors Say They’re Livin’ On A Prayer
“I filed the claim with State Farm probably the day immediately after the fire and they either purposefully ignore it or have rolled out staffing policies and procedures to purposefully delay and put up roadblocks in the face of policy holders trying to recover and get the money that they need to rebuild,” says Neil, an Eaton Fire survivor.
Bills endorsed by the two groups aim to help Californians secure and maintain reliable home insurance and ensure policyholders receive the benefits they’re entitled to when disaster hits.
SB 1076, the Admitted Insurers: Residential Property Insurance bill, mandates that insurers offer and renew coverage for homes meeting the Insurance Commissioner's wildfire safety standards.
SB 1301, The Residential Property Insurance: Nonrenewals bill, requires more disclosure and response time for nonrenewals, protecting policyholders from abrupt coverage loss.
SB 877, the Residential Property Insurance: Loss Estimate Transparency bill, requires insurers to disclose all original and revised loss estimates. This allows consumers to understand how their claim payout was calculated, what changes were made, and why, helping them challenge claim underpayments.
SB 878, the Insurance Business Practices bill, strengthens claim delay laws, imposing a 20% interest penalty on late payments and eliminating insurers' incentive to delay action on partial claims.
4/ FINAL CA REGULATION GIVES IN TO INDUSTRY, EXEMPTS INSURERS FROM REPORTING: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) released draft regulations in December that proposed exempting insurance companies from SB 253 greenhouse gas reporting requirements, and has now issued final rules that do just that.
California Air Resources Board: CARB approves climate transparency regulation for entities doing business in California
Entities exempt from reporting include tax exempt non-profits and charities, government or majority-owned government entities, and California businesses regulated by the Department of Insurance or insurance businesses in any other state, among a few other exemptions.
Forbes: 5 Key Takeaways From California’s New Climate Change Reporting Rule
The Fresno Bee: California air board OKs first rules for corporate climate disclosures
5/ “THE GREAT CLIMATE INSURANCE COLLAPSE PORTENDS REAL DANGER”: In an extended thread on X, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse warned we could expect the insurance crisis to spread to the entire property market, triggering an economy-wide emergency at the intersection of climate risk and affordability.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on X: “To get really grim, there’s every reason to expect the spiraling insurance crisis to cascade into a mortgage and home values crisis that clobbers the economy like 2008, or worse [...]
Sen. Whitehouse has long called for action on the insurance crisis. The Senate Budget Committee he chaired issued a 2024 report laying out how climate change is making insurance unaffordable and unavailable, and warning of the dangerous consequences of inaction. Independent analysts like First Street have reached similar conclusions.
Resources
Insurance Fairness Project: Polling – Voters Want Their Government to Address the Property Insurance Crisis
Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project: Mapping the Home Insurance Crisis
Consumer Federation of America: Overburdened: The Dramatic Increase in Homeowners Insurance Premiums and its Impacts on American Homeowners
Brookings Institution: Homeowners insurance in an era of climate change
Consumer Federation of America and Climate and Community Institute: Penalized: The Hidden Cost of Credit Score in Homeowners Insurance Premiums
Americans for Financial Reform and Public Citizen: Rising Property Insurance Premiums: The Uneven Risks to Household and Systemic Financial Stability
Climate and Community Institute (CCI): Insurers of Last Resort: Why Today’s FAIR Plans Need a Redesign to Address the Home Insurance Crisis
Center for Climate Integrity: How Big Oil is Fueling the Insurance Crisis And Why State Policymakers Should Act
Yale Law Journal: The Uninsurable Future: The Climate Threat to Property Insurance, and How to Stop It
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The Insurance Fairness Project is an information hub dedicated to offering insights into the home insurance crisis, exploring its drivers and highlighting solutions alongside issue experts and community advocates.
