May 13, 2010
Insurance Law Changes Approved, Bills
on Crime Alerts & E-Warrants Signed
Doyle approves Omnibus Insurance bill, enacts bills to modernize crime alerts and warrants
(MADISON) Senator Lena C. Taylor (D-Milwaukee) thanked Governor Doyle for his enactment of three bills which significant improvement in Insurance law and modernize and utilize technology to alert the community of criminal activity and speed law enforcement’s access to records of electronic crime. The three bills, AB 701, SB 533, and SB 525 came through the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, which Taylor chairs.
“Insurance law is an important component of statutes that consumers depend on to protect their rights and their risk,” Taylor noted. “I am thankful for the Governor’s action today and the cooperation with Commissioner Dilweg’s office to produce an omnibus bill to protect the consumer and best serve the industry. In addition, the Governor rightly enacted the Crime Alert Network bill and approved the bill to authorize warrants of electronic communication used in criminal activity.”
The Governor signed into law:
Assembly Bill 701 - the Omnibus Insurance Bill . The bill makes various and diverse changes to the statutes with goals to increase consumer safety, provide efficient regulation of the industry, and eliminates outdates regulatory functions. The bill was authored by Senator Taylor and Rep. David Cullen (D-Wauwatosa) with the support and assistance of the Commissioner of Insurance, Sean Dilweg.
Senate Bill 533 - Creating the Crime Alert Network. This bill allows DOJ to create an additional informational network to provide information to law enforcement and the general public regarding known or suspected criminal activity, crime prevention, and missing or endangered persons. Senator Taylor joined Sen. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) and Rep. Ann Hraychuck (D-Balsam Lake) in authoring the bill.
Senate Bill 524 – Authorizing E-Warrants. The bill allows judges to subpoena or issue warrants for communication made electronically in Wisconsin but which are domiciled outside of Wisconsin, such as criminal activity in a chat room hosted in California. The authors, Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa), Sen. Taylor, and Rep. Sandy Pasch (D-Whitefish Bay) worked with Milwaukee County and City officials and the Attorney General’s office on this bill.
More information about each of these bills is available on-line at the Legislature’s searchable infobase at: www.legis.wisconsin.gov .
