Columbia, Maryland, March 29, 2006--At its recent meeting in Savannah, Ga., the board of directors of the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration (ASCR) voted unanimously to endorse a bill currently wending its way through the Colorado House of Representatives. HB 06-1006 concerns referrals by an insurance company to personal property repair businesses.
If passed, the association believes that HB 06-1006 would directly impact consumers’ options to select the company of their choice for any insurance-covered repair or service.
“HB 1006 is about consumer freedom of choice,” said ASCR President Brian Spiegel, CR. “It is not in the consumer’s best interest and it may be perceived as a conflict of interest to have insurance companies dictate which vendors should be used for a specific repair. An insurance policy is a contract between an insured and his insurance company to provide services that reflect industry practices, not to promote the use of a preferred vendor.”
Consumers are frequently better equipped than insurance companies to evaluate their circumstances and make the best choice when it comes to selecting a local contractor. “Passage of HB 06-1006 will advance the interests of consumers by assuring competition in the restoration marketplace and delivering optimum value to buyers of property insurance,” explained Spiegel. “In addition, the bill will help to protect the many small businesses and employees of Colorado’s restoration industry from artificially imposed market constraints.”
Support for HB 1006 is building in Colorado’s House. Members of both parties on the House Business and Labor Committee voted unanimously in favor of HB 1006 and referred it to the Appropriations Committee. ASCR has created “The 1006 Fund” in response to member demand to support the Colorado bill and other legislative initiatives essential to the cleaning and restoration industry throughout ASCR’s service areas.
