Insurance Commissioner Andrew Mays told the Appropriations subcommittee on Feb. 14 that property and casualty insurance costs have been rising due to supply‑chain, labor and climate factors, and that the department will expand consumer outreach and work on improved flood‑risk information.

Mays said the department reviews every rate‑increase request to ensure it is not excessive, discriminatory or inadequate and that regulators balance solvency with fair premiums. “We have seen…supply‑chain disruptions…[and] labor costs increase,” he said, adding that those factors are driving higher replacement costs for homes and vehicles.

Mays outlined a two‑part consumer response: better public education about risk and steps households can take to reduce losses, and work with state planners and modelers to provide more localized flood‑risk information. He said the department is exploring tools like First Street Foundation’s models and wants to produce a publicly accessible address‑lookup tool that would give property‑level flood‑risk readouts.

On market structure, Mays said Connecticut has pursued captive insurance reforms to attract new captive operations and that the state will continue outreach to grow that market. He also reported routine lapsing in agency personal‑services and fringe lines as part of budget administration (personal services lapse about $340,000; fringe benefits lapse cited around $411,009). The commissioner told lawmakers the department will increase consumer outreach staffing and is coordinating with municipalities, insurers and federal mapping resources.

Ending: Mays offered to join legislators in town halls and said the department will share draft plans for flood‑risk consumer tools and coordinate with GIS and municipal partners as the state considers resilience investments.