Connecticut Delegates Meet to Discuss Terrorism Insurance
WASHINGTON – Six members of the Connecticut delegation, including Governor John Rowland, met yesterday over breakfast hosted by Chris Dodd (D) in Washington to discuss terrorism insurance reform for the state after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
Governor Rowland met with Senators Chris Dodd and Joseph Lieberman as well as Representatives, John Larson (D-1st), Robert Simmons (R-2nd) and Nancy Johnson (R-5th) came down to Washington in response to the terrorist attacks and how to prepare the state businesses economically with terrorism insurance. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-3rd) and Jim Maloney (R-5th) were in New York City, surveying damages from the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Rowland said that during this crisis, the federal government would be working closely with state governments to help with provide economic support.
“I would compare it to flood insurance. Flood insurance is provided by the federal government. It is literally underwritten by the federal government. The reserves are there, and I’m hopeful that before January 1st this Congress can respond with terrorism insurance coverage that will be a partnership with the insurance companies across this country, and that the federal government will be the backdrop, will be the reserve, will be the insurer against this peril,” said Rowland.
Rowland said that January 1st is going to be a turning point because new insurance policies and insurance renewals are implemented for the new fiscal year. He said “it is going to have wide impact” because there many people and industries would be affected.
“My primary concern is the future·There is a way to do this, but I want a sense of urgency because January 1, a lot of things are going to happen, the airlines are going to fly, there are going to need appropriate coverage, it also affects worker’s compensation, disability, life insurance. It’s going to affect unions,” he said.
Rowland said that Congress would not neglect industries that aren’t affiliated with airlines. “Although we’re focusing on the airlines right now keeping them healthy, I want to make sure mom-and-pop businesses can operate in New York City and Hartford Connecticut,” he said.
Dodd said that the Connecticut delegation would be working together on the key issues that need to be addressed including insurance reforms, emergency services in order to “minimize the possibility of these events occurring in the future.” He mentioned that spoke with Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) and other members of Congress to develop a legislation package that would tackle insurance and compensation issues. Dodd anticipated proposing the package early next week.
“We’re a small delegation, we cooperate with each other all the time. We’re trying to sort out now what are the things that we can do be a help to our country to our state and also our country,” Dodd said.
Lieberman said, that Congress as a whole would continue to move legislation quickly and efficiently. “When the Congress is divided, everything takes forever. When the Congress is united, we become a purpose. Even very difficult things get accomplished very quickly.”
“We are doing exactly what the people of Connecticut would want a state government to do, which is to take steps to prevent the critical infrastructure of the state to be prepared for rapid response,” Lieberman said.
“We are going to do all that we can to make sure the state of Connecticut is safe. But at the same time that a free civil society is going to allow people to move around and to get on with their lives,” said Rowland. He intends on visiting various major industries and military operations in eastern Connecticut to make sure that the best security systems are in place.
Dodd agreed with Rowland that we are a free society, “and if we start identifying every potential danger, we can cause the terrorists to have a bigger victory than they have already had.”
“The most important this is we got to get back as a people again. Vince Lombardi used to have a great line, he used to say ‘the true side of courage is not whether you got knocked down but whether you got up.’ And our country is getting up,” Dodd said.
