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    9Aug, 2022
    New law raises NJ car insurance requirements for drivers. It may mean rate hikes, too

    Car insurance rates for New Jersey drivers could rise over the next few years under a new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy.

    The bill, which Murphy signed Friday, takes effect immediately and will raise the minimum requirement for automotive liability insurance. Murphy signed it without making any statement, and his office did not respond to a message seeking comment.

    Here is what to know:

    What changes will happen

    State law requires all drivers to have car insurance. The type and coverage for accidents varies, but a standard policy covers $15,000 for bodily injury per person, $5,000 for property damage and $30,000 for uninsured motorists.

    The new law requires the standard car insurance policy to increase in January and then again in 2026. These changes would more than double the minimum requirement for a standard policy from $15,000 now to $35,000 in 2026.

    A minimum policy will require vehicle owners to maintain coverage of $25,000 for a crash that results in the injury or death of one person; $50,000 for a crash resulting in multiple injuries or death; and $25,000 for a crash with no injuries. All liability policies also include payment for all or part of what a driver is legally entitled to recover as damages from drivers of uninsured and underinsured vehicles.

    A new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy raises the insurance requirements for NJ motorists.

    A new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy raises the insurance requirements for NJ motorists.

    Ethics questions raised

    The bill was sponsored by two state senators who also serve as personal injury attorneys. Senate President Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, and Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-Union, claims the change would ultimately benefit motorists. Bramnick said the legislation is happening now because “you have somebody leading the Senate now who actually represents individuals and not

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    9Aug, 2022
    South Florida communities impacted by insurance crisis

    MIAMI – Florida’s insurance crisis continues as four companies have been downgraded and a fifth carrier going out of business, leaving homeowners scrambling.

    “I were not in the peak of hurricane season so to know your about to be dumped is nerve-racking,” said homeowner Ernesto Cortez, referring to his insurance carrier not only dropping him but going out of business.

    The move comes after multiple insurance companies in the state were downgraded, his carrier Weston, is among them and now they have become insolvent.

    “After the downgrade of the insurance companies, they didn’t do the 17 they did 4 companies but out of the four my insurance is one of them, so now I have to get insurance again twice in less than four months” added Cortez.

    Demotech, the company that rates insurance carriers issued rating changes from “A” for elements passed to “S” for substantial or M- moderate. FedNat Insurance Co. , United Property & Casualty Insurance Co. both dropped from an Exceptional rating to Moderate. Bankers Specialty Insurance and First Community Insurance, we’re also downgraded. But the moves caused in homeowners losing their coverage as those carriers no longer meet the minimum requirements most mortgage companies have in place.

    “If they don’t carry an A rating or better the mortgage company will not allow that insurance carrier to insure the home of it has a mortgage on it,” said Steven Brooks with Cornerstone Insurance.

    Brooks says the problem has not only created a limited amount of carriers for people to choose from but also unsustainable price hikes.

    “We’re going to see many people who might have to leave their homes as a result of the facts that these insurance premiums and there inability to get insurance to begin with comes to fruition,” added Brooks.

    An issue that

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    9Aug, 2022
    Military Faces National Guard Refusals and Legal Blockade over Disobeying COVID-19 Vaccine Order

    Since the military services hit their deadlines for troops to be inoculated against COVID-19, they have become increasing entangled in legal woes and face a large roster of outright refusals — mostly from the Army National Guard — as courts block action.

    The resulting uncertainty surrounding whether thousands of service members are about to be booted from the military comes as the branches struggle with what some are calling the hardest recruiting environment in a generation. Leaders have been busy lowering expectations for how many Americans will fill the ranks in the near future.

    And many service members who have declined to get vaccinated, particularly in the Department of the Navy and Department of the Air Force, are being protected under pending lawsuits for religious exemptions. In response, those services are trying to offer alternative vaccines such as Novavax, which throws cold water on one of the main arguments given by deniers seeking religious exemptions.

    Read Next: F-35 Ejection Seat Problem Was Discovered 3 Months Ago, But Jets Kept Flying

    Guard soldiers were ordered to be vaccinated by July 1, far later than most other services. Yet roughly 40,000 of them blew off the Pentagon’s directive. Troops in all branches have been required to be immunized against at least a dozen ailments including the flu and hepatitis for years, with the coronavirus vaccine a rare instance where vaccination has become a political hot potato.

    But unlike active-duty formations, there is no policy requiring Guardsmen who refuse vaccination to be separated from service, meaning that the passed deadline has left states uncertain about what steps to take next.

    “There is no definitive guidance; no one in the Army has told us how to [separate soldiers],” a senior Guard officer told Military.com on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation. “They

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