Governor Signs 2 Bills Backed by PIA of Wisconsin
PIA of Wisconsin was invited to the Governor’s Office to witness the signing of two important bills, on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Gov. Tony Evers signed one bill making Wisconsin the 46th state to regulate public adjusters and another that ended double-taxation of crop insurance. PIAW advocated strongly for both of these bills.
“When there’s a bill that is helpful to independent agents, their clients or their industry, PIA will be there to help get it done,” said PIAW Vice President Julie Ulset.
Assembly Bill 357 will require out-of-state public adjusters to register with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) and it will create some reasonable restrictions on the contracts they sign with consumers.
Senate Bill 387 adds crop insurance claims payments to the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Agricultural Tax Credit, so that farmers will no longer be taxed on the premiums and then taxed on the claim payments as well.
“The last thing farmers need after they lose their crops to disastrous weather is to have their tax bill go up,” said PIAW Executive Director Pete Hanson. “There is a tax credit for revenue from crop sales, so there should be a tax credit for the claims payments that replace that revenue.”
“It was truly an honor to see these bills signed into law and to meet Governor Evers and Insurance Commissioner Mark Afable,” said PIAW Board Member Michael Keener. “We want to thank both of them for their support on these issues that are important to our industry and our customers.”
For more information, contact Pete Hanson at the PIAW office. Phone: (608) 274-8188