On Aug. 25, Mary Hayashi chaired a hearing of the State Assembly to investigate fraud in the auto body industry in California. The hearing is closely related to AB 1200, which narrowly failed on the Senate floor during a 19-17 “Aye to Noe” vote on Aug. 24. Even though the vote was 19 in favor, the bill needed a 21 vote majority to pass. The bill was approved  for “reconsideration,” which means it can either be voted on again, or it dies. This bill was also taken out of order. Insurance companies are lobbying very hard for this bill.

“Unfortunately, AB1200 has been subject to a disinformation campaign led by those who have a vested interest in not allowing insurers to discuss these options with their claimants. These include trial lawyers who sometimes file questionable or frivolous lawsuits related to auto body shop repair.”

—Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi

In a piece written for the San Francisco Chronicle Open Forum on Aug. 19, Hayashi (photo left) asserted that AB1200 was under attack from a “disinformation campaign.” When looking at the facts of the bill it becomes clear that there is an abundance of disinformation on the bill, largely emanating from Assemblywoman Hayashi and the bill’s insurance company bankrollers.

The Bill

Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi has authored a bill (AB 1200) that is meant to undo California’s anti-steering consumer protections. Hayashi’s bill is sponsored and supported by the auto insurance industry. The insurance industry supporters maintain that this bill allows insurance companies to better inform their policyholders about the benefits of DRPs. Uniformly opposing Hayashi’s bill are consumer advocacy groups.