The IBANY advocacy program protects the playing field on which members achieve their wins and survive their fair losses. Just a few of the issues the advocacy team has worked on in the last decade:

• Creation of excess lines stamping office in New York (ELANY)

• Labor law reform

• Excess linetax reform for multi-state policies

• Captive insurance modernization

• NYS officers' tax exemption for brokers

• Relief from policy form restrictions in professional liability policies

• Clarification of flex rating and anti-rebate regulations to legitimize fee-for-service contracts

• Liberalization of defense-within-limits laws

• Validation of claims-made policies

• Exemption of purchasing groups and risk retention groups from regulation

• Anti-trust protections for brokers in policy development and pricing

• Defeat of presumptive liability for brokers and MGAs in insurer insolvencies

• Wrap-ups for public sector construction projects

• Workers' comp reforms (managed care, subrogation, 2nd injury fund, repeal of Dole vs. Dow, standards for reporting seasonal employees, medical guidelines)

• Repeal of adverse regulatory opinions on "channeling" to allow separate evolution of hospitals' and physicians' professional liability policies

• Approval of stop loss policies in hospital AIDS-related loss control programs

• Exemption of critical illness and related stop loss policies from "dread disease" coverage prohibitions

• Authorization of hole-in-one insurance

• Approval of voluntary markets (both admitted and nonadmitted) as lawful markets of choice in lieu of the JUA

• DMV data reporting standards for commercial fleets

• Standards for attributing liability for underground storage tanks

• Authorization of environmental liability exclusions

• Definition of clean-up liability standards to facilitate placing coverage for remediators

• Defense of brokers in NYC municipal agencies qualification process

• E&O issues for brokers in lead liability claims

• NYS "greenway" environmental liability standards for municipalities

• National oil spill response center designation for New York

• Free trade zone liberalization

• Expansion of coverages that can be placed in nonadmitted market without prior declinations

• Legalization of defense only policies

• Defense of employment practices policies

• Clarification of binding authorities rulings to protect brokers against presumptive liability in claims disputes

• Authorization for nonadmitted carriers to maintain administrative offices in New York

• Commercial deregulation

• Limited approval of group and quasi-group P&C policies

• Export of GAP policies

• Y2K constructive cancellations

• Brokers' right to offset fees against commissions

• Disclosure of brokers' contingent compensation

• "Professional" status of brokers for statute of limitations

• Reform of licensing system

• Reform of continuing education requirements

• New broker license for life and financial planning professionals

• Design of New York's captive domicile laws

• Exemption of captives from fronting restrictions

• Bank/insurer parity

• Financial modernization