Dear Colleague:
Despite passing both the Assembly and Senate by overwhelming numbers this past June, Governor Cuomo has declined to sign the "SUM" bill.
As you know, NYSTLA members, leaders and our lobbyists and PR team have been in overdrive for months, working with consumer groups to educate the public about the critical importance of this bill.
Hundreds of New Yorkers who are victims of accidents caused by under- or uninsured drivers learn too late that the auto insurance they think they have will not pay for the often high price of a long recovery, lost wages, and damaged property. By putting the stories of these victims front and center, we were able to generate dozens of news stories, and several favorable editorials about the SUM bill.
Unfortunately, the Governor's office raised several technical objections to the bill. We will work with our lobbying team and the legislature in the upcoming session to address the Governor's objections and build an even broader coalition of support for this legislation.
Not a week goes by that an accident victim does not walk into a law office somewhere in this state believing they are "fully covered," only to learn that they did not purchase the one type of coverage that would have protected themselves and their families for losses caused by uninsured drivers or those with limited policies. Usually, they have never heard of "SUM" insurance at all.
That is why NYSTLA strongly supported the SUM bill, and that is why we will work to ensure that it becomes law in 2013.
Thank you for all that you do to support NYSTLA and the civil justice system.
Sincerely,
Michael Jaffe
President