Thanks to efforts of Senator Hinojosa and his colleagues, Nueces County families can no longer be slapped with excessive surcharges in the aftermath of a hurricane. In the 2009 Legislative Session, Senator Hinojosa led the negotiations to pass comprehensive Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) reform legislation. While the new law may have been far from perfect, it took major strides forward in protecting Nueces County homeowners. Since 2009, Senator Hinojosa has supported legislation to reform TWIA by changing the funding structure, board composition, legal processes, and administrative and claims processes. Senator Hinojosa has consistently opposed rules that would increase premium surcharges or create ambiguity and uncertainty for the Texas Coast.
Senator Hinojosa continues to work with TWIA and our Coastal Bend communities to ensure fair and affordable access to windstorm insurance coverage. Just last year, Senator Hinojosa supported and co-sponsored legislation that will address rate adequacy transparency and legislation that requires two interim legislative committees to inspect and review the current funding structure. This resulted in the creation of the Windstorm Insurance Legislative Funding and Funding Structure Oversight Board, to which Senator Hinojosa was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. The board is charged with gathering information regarding how the association’s current funding and funding structure operate and how the catastrophic risk pools of other states operate.