Governor Edwards signs legislation ending the auto insurance “Patriot Penalty” where military who were deployed overseas would return home to higher auto insurance rates.
Anyone who is uninsured for six months or more must pay a higher rate upon reinsuring. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau says that hammered the armed forces.
“They were going overseas and if they did not go through a lot of hoops and when they got back and they restarted their insurance because they were back to drive their vehicles then they had to pay higher rates,” says Luneau.
Others who drop insurance for six months or more will still be charged at a higher rate.
Luneau says the legislation does not interfere with any other auto insurance benefits military members may be receiving.
“Any discounts that were given to mi9llitary people otherwise would still be applicable and they would not be penalized for not having insurance for six months while they were overseas,” says Luneau.
Luneau says this was common-sense legislation and bemoaned the fact that other common-sense legislative auto insurance fixes were rejected this year.
“Females are charged more in Louisiana because they are females, also widows or widowers are charged more when their spouse dies because supposedly they drive more,” says Luneau.
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