Personal automobile or residential property insurance premium increases for claims subject to sovereign, governmental, or official immunity

Texas Senate Bill 593 (SB593), introduced by Senator Royce West in December 2024, aimed to prevent insurance companies from increasing premiums on personal automobile or residential property insurance policies solely due to claims arising from incidents involving governmental entities or employees who are protected by sovereign, governmental, or official immunity. This means that if a policyholder filed a claim for damages caused by such entities or individuals, their insurance rates could not be raised just because of that claim. The bill was referred to the Senate Business & Commerce Committee in February 2025 but did not progress further and ultimately died in committee.

Positive media analysis is being generated.

Although there is no direct media coverage criticizing SB593, potential opposition could have arisen from insurance industry representatives. Insurers might have argued that the bill could limit their ability to adjust premiums based on risk assessments, potentially leading to higher costs for the industry. They may have contended that restricting premium adjustments could result in increased overall premiums for all policyholders to offset potential losses, thereby affecting the broader insurance market.