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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20170&cosponId=21908
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House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: January 9, 2017 03:59 PM
From: Representative Marguerite Quinn
To: All House members
Subject: Life Insurance Database
 
In an effort to assist the families of deceased residents, I believe that the Commonwealth should develop a central database of electronic contact information for life insurance companies.

Many times when a loved one dies, the remaining family members are searching for important financial documents, including, a life insurance policy. It is not uncommon for a family to be unaware that a life insurance policy was in place, as payments on it could have been completed years ago. All too often, a life insurance payout is needed for immediate expenses to pay any remaining bills, burial expenses, or for the surviving spouse’s living expenses. The surviving spouse and family members should not have to wait a number of years to learn that there was a policy in place, and that its payout became part of the State Treasurer’s unclaimed property.

My proposal will allow “any member of the family of a decedent, or an estate executor or administrator” to contact the Pennsylvania Insurance Department requesting all companies having life insurance policies in place in Pennsylvania to conduct a search of life insurance policies covering a decedent. All requests must include a copy of the decedent’s death certificate. The bill provides that the Department can charge for this service.

In the very near future, I will introduce legislation that will authorize the PID to create a database, of companies that hold life insurance policies in Pennsylvania. This database will enable families of deceased Pennsylvania residents to query the Department of Insurance to find out if a company doing business in PA is holding a life insurance policy on the decedent. The money belongs to the beneficiary, and should be paid to that person in a timely fashion.

I hope you will join me in cosponsoring this initiative.



Introduced as HB152