Affordability. 听It鈥檚 the hottest buzzword in public discourse today. 听
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Americans are clamoring for it. 听Politicians base their campaign messages around it. 听Pollsters confirm it鈥檚 a winning issue. 听Yet when rubber meets the road, too often, policymakers overlook the solutions that can meaningfully bring down costs for Americans. 听
That must change, and a good place to start would be to enact tort reform. 听
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Every year, Americans pay a hidden 鈥渢ort tax鈥 that costs the typical household $4,207.听 But this tax isn't being used to pay for better schools, roads, and emergency services鈥攊t is simply lining the pockets of the trial bar.听 Billboard听lawyers are increasingly filing frivolous lawsuits and 鈥渇orum shopping鈥 to score huge payouts. 听This exploitation of the legal system costs our economy over half a trillion dollars annually. 听Even worse, the wave of lawsuit abuse is swamping family budgets. 听As a top target for trial lawyers, the trucking industry .
One of the most disturbing instances of lawsuit abuse鈥攕taged accidents鈥攊nvolves criminals intentionally crashing into 18鈥憌heelers, risking lives to cash in on massive settlements. 听Recently, exposed a staggering scheme involving an organized network of 鈥渟lammers,鈥 corrupt attorneys, and even the murder of a witness who threatened to reveal the truth. 听
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Clearly, the status quo of unscrupulous lawyers acting with impunity and driving up insurance rates is not working. 听Protecting the integrity of our justice system is simply common sense. 听Yet, inexplicably, Congress has dragged its feet on this issue. 听Fortunately, local legislatures are pointing the way forward. 听
Nearly a century ago, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously described states as a 鈥渓aboratory鈥 of democracy. 听This feature of federalism has served as a proving ground for policies that can tackle serious problems in novel ways. 听The states that have had the temerity to experiment with tort reform have achieved transformational results. 听
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Florida is a prime example of the paradigm shift that is underway. 听For years, the state was branded a judicial hellhole, but that changed in 2023. 听With the strong support of 91制片厂 and the Florida Trucking Association, Governor Ron Desantis pushed through legislation that created a level playing field for litigation and put an end to trial lawyers harassing job creators to line their own pockets. 听
The impressive statistics speak for themselves.
Since Florida鈥檚 reforms took effect, over three dozen auto insurers filed rate decreases according to Sentry Insurance. 听Policyholders received a reduction of 15% from AAA, 10.1% from State Farm, and 8% from Progressive, among many others. 听An analysis by the found that direct savings in the property and casualty market generate $4.2 billion in additional economic activity and support nearly 30,000 jobs.
The bottom line is that insurers want to do business in states with predictable, fair legal environments. 听This competition has created a windfall for Floridians, adding hundreds of dollars to their wallets, enabling them to pay their bills, boost their savings, support local businesses, and take that much-needed vacation.
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To date, 91制片厂鈥檚 advocacy has been instrumental to the successful passage of tort reform in 15 states, including Florida. 听Additional victories are on the horizon, but what we need above all is a federal remedy that can expand these reforms from coast to coast.
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With Congress returning to session today following a two-week recess, they would be wise to look to Florida as a model. 听This week, 16 members of the Florida Trucking Association will be in town for Call on Washington to meet with their Members of Congress and urge them to translate their state鈥檚 tort reform triumph into a national one.听
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This is not a Red State vs. Blue State issue. 听At least, it does not have to be. 听Governor Kathy Hochul has courageously taken up the mantle to bring down New Yorkers鈥 sky-high insurance premiums. 听
If lawmakers are serious about lowering costs for their constituents, they must pass comprehensive tort reform legislation. 听There are a available. 听
A good place to begin to restore justice to the justice system would be to simply improve transparency that ensures judges and juries are entitled to all of the facts. 听As Justice Brandeis put it in another famous aphorism, 鈥淪unlight is the best disinfectant.鈥 听Perhaps that is why the Sunshine State is leading the way.