In this issue ...

• Court Amends Rule on Attorney Advertising
• Governor Unveils First Wave of Regulatory Reforms in EXPRESS NY Initiative
• Insurance Extension Bills Delivered to Governor
• WCB Proposes Amendments to Correct Contact Information

Court Amends Rule on Attorney Advertising

The New York State Court Rules have been amended to relax attorney advertising requirements. The new amendments overhaul advertising and solicitation rules by allowing lawyers to advertise through any media, provided the communication is truthful; eliminating rules that regulated testimonials, endorsements, disclaimers, attorney advertising labels, and filing and retention requirements; removing solicitation restrictions; and deleting the prohibition on solicitations for personal injury or wrongful death incidents during the first 30 days after the event; among other items. Overall, this amendment represents one of the largest deregulatory changes to New York attorney advertising rules but was purportedly advanced to align New York with the American Bar Association model rules. NYIA is coordinating with industry partners to determine next steps and will keep members apprised. We think it is particularly important that these changes are recognized given the current efforts to reduce litigation in New York, as these changes will very likely have a negative impact on lawsuit abuse. Remarkably, the court included a notice in the New York State Register with the adopted amendments, but did not publish the proposed amendments through the same mechanism late last year, as they sought public comments.

Governor Unveils First Wave of Regulatory Reforms in EXPRESS NY Initiative

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the first series of state actions to improve government service delivery through her EXPRESS NY initiative, with 50 actions being taken across 22 state agencies. These actions are projected to save New Yorkers tens of millions of dollars in unnecessary fees and compliance costs and over one million hours of time spent navigating the regulatory process. The reforms were generated from a list compiled by state agencies following months of review. In addition, Governor Hochul put out a call for New Yorkers across the state to submit their own regulatory reform ideas earlier this year, which are being reviewed by state officials.

These initial regulatory reform actions are broken down into four major categories: saving New Yorkers time, saving New Yorkers money, increasing access to services, and rescinding outdated regulations and policies. For the full list of reforms and to view the governor’s press release, please visit the Governor’s website.

NYIA has been working in coordination with the business community to advance ways to positively reform and modernize regulations. We are also advancing a Regulatory Roadmap as we seek to build capacity at DFS and streamline processes, particularly in relation to filings. Another area of attention with the roadmap will be recommendations pertaining to fighting fraud.

Insurance Extension Bills Delivered to Governor
The two bills that would extend the supplementary uninsured/underinsured coverage insurance provision (A11366 Taylor/S10581 Bailey) and all the other provisions of the insurance law that are set to expire at the end of June (A11367 Hunter/S10582 Bailey) have been delivered to the Governor. Both bills would extend the current provisions until June 30, 2029. The Governor has until June 30 to act on these bills, or they will be automatically approved.

WCB Proposes Amendments to Correct Contact Information

The Workers Compensation Board (WCB) proposed amendments to Sections 325-1.6, 328.12, 342.10, 347.9, 349-2.11, 425.2, 425.3, 425.6, 430.2, 430.4, 430.8, and 441.2 of Title 12 of the NYCRR to update contact information (website URLs, mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, etc.), correct typographical errors, and update to gender neutral language. The notice will be included in this week’s state register on June 24, 2026.