Reilly throws up roadblock on auto-insurance plan

By Jay Fitzgerald

Friday, April 22, 2005



A proposal to impose $15 million in surcharges on auto insurers hit a political pothole yesterday, with Attorney General Tom Reilly saying he opposes it.



Lawmakers are working on legislation that would charge auto insurers 0.25 percent on premiums, with the money helping to pay for police training across the state.



Supporters say the funds are desperately needed in the wake of local budget cuts. But critics have said insurers would merely pass the surcharges - estimated at about $4 a year per premium - along to motorists.



Reilly, a proponent of auto-insurance reform and a possible Democratic guberatorial candidate next year, said he supports raising money for cops, ``but not through a surcharge on state drivers.



``I believe this is the wrong way to support police training,'' he said, arguing that lawmakers must fund police training within the current budget.



Reilly added that efforts under way to reform the state's auto-insurance industry aim to lower premiums, not raise them.



The insurance industry and Gov. Mitt Romney have already expressed opposition to the plan.



Reilly's opposition further isolates Democratic lawmakers trying to find funding for police-training programs.



One Democrat has challenged critics to specifically identify ways to pay for expanded police training.