WQIS Holds Covered, No Premium Increase

The United States Coast Guard announced that effective January 23, 2010, they will be increasing fines and other civil monetary penalties to account for inflation in accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.

Water Quality Insurance Syndicate (WQIS) announces that as an accommodation to their Assureds, they are automatically holding covered – at no additional premium – the new limits under Coverage D (limited fines and penalties) until the policy expires. The adjusted maximum penalty amount authorized by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act and provided for in Coverage D is now $190,000.

When Congress established the fines and other civil monetary penalties for those who violated Federal Laws and regulations, they knew the deterrent value of those penalties would diminish over time as a result of inflation. To address this issue, they enacted the statutes referenced above. This Act requires Federal agencies to adjust their penalties for inflation at least once every four years using a nondiscretionary statutory formula. This rule is published without prior notice of proposed rulemaking or public comment period. On January 23, 2010, the fines and other civil monetary penalties assessed by the U.S. Coast Guard are being increased by an average of 19.12%.