Advocates and lawmakers want Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign two bills that would improve insurance options for New Yorkers who own pet cats or dogs.

The governor has one week to sign or veto legislation to impose consumer protections and state regulations for people who buy pet insurance. The measure, which lawmakers passed unanimously this session, was sent to her desk Oct. 9.

“This comes from pet insurance customers who said, I didn’t know my policy only covered wellness plans, and he got hit by a bike or car and there was expensive surgery, and my insurance plan doesn’t cover that,” sponsor Assemblywoman Pam Hunter said. “You need to know that in advance of when the accident or illness takes place.”

Lawmakers passed the bill for the second time this session after Hochul vetoed the measure last year over concerns to distinctly separate coverage for domesticated dogs and cats from livestock. 

Hunter, a Syracuse Democrat, said lawmakers listened to the governor’s concerns that led to the prior veto, and clarified language for the state to create pet insurance rules and regulations.

“I wanted to make sure that you clearly know what you’re purchasing, that the people who provide this insurance are properly trained,” Hunter continued. “It’s explicit so that you know what the coverage is going to be, and you’re more apt to get more wellness for your pet if you know for a fact what is going to be covered when you go to the veterinarian.”

New York’s pet insurance industry has existed for decades, but the state has never imposed consumer protections or guidelines.

Senate sponsor Jabari Brisport said the bill would create state regulations that would align with a national model supported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Hunter was elected president of the National Council of Insurance Legislators last December. 

“This is something that they’re doing in 12 states already,” said Brisport, a Democrat from Brooklyn. “And we’re just trying to replicate it here in New York.”

And Hochul has until the end of the year to decide the fate of a bill to outlaw discrimination to issue renters’ insurance policies based on certain dog breeds.

Libby Post, executive director of the New York State Animal Protection Federation, is hopeful Hochul will also outlaw rental insurance discrimination if a person owns a dog breed with a reputation of being aggressive.

“This is really a social justice issue because the overwhelming majority of renters are people of color and they also are low-income so insurance companies think they can gauge them,” Post told Spectrum News 1. “And they’re using false premises. I’m a little more afraid of the chihuahua who will bite my ankle than I will of a friendly pit bull.” 

The bill passed this session, but has not been delivered to the governor’s desk.

But advocates like Post are staying confident Hochul will sign it after she outlawed similar discrimination for homeowners insurance a few years ago.

All dogs have the ability to bite, but Post said, it’s about how an owner trains their dog that determines its behavior — not the breed.

“If an owner is going to train a dog to be aggressive, that’s what the owner’s going to do and that’s what the dog is going to be,” she said. “From the smallest to the largest, it’s not about the breed. It’s not about the pit bulls.” 

As Gov. Hochul has focused on an affordability agenda for the last two years as she prepares for a tough reelection campaign, lawmakers say it should be a no-brainer for her to sign the proposals supported by both parties.

The governor does not publicly discuss her thoughts about legislation until after she’s signed it, or issued a veto message or chapter amendments that the Legislature would need to consider when session resumes in January.