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By:  Burnam                                                       H.B. No. 121


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to policy forms for personal fire and homeowners insurance. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Article 5.35, Insurance Code, is amended by adding Subsections (k), (l), and (m) to read as follows: (k) Each insurer that writes homeowners insurance in this state shall offer homeowners coverage written through the HO-B policy form, as adopted by the commissioner and in effect on January 1, 2003, or a policy form that offers equivalent coverage, as determined by the commissioner. (l) An insurer shall make available to consumers a side-by-side comparison of each policy form of personal fire and homeowners insurance subject to this article that is offered by the insurer. The commissioner may adopt rules governing the form and content of the side-by-side comparisons required by this subsection. (m) This article applies to each insurer that writes a policy of personal fire or homeowners insurance in this state, including a farm mutual insurance company and a reciprocal or interinsurance exchange. SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003, and applies only to an insurance policy that is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2004. A policy that is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed before January 1, 2004, is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for this purpose.