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Torres Upset About No-Fault Bill’s Path : Insurance: The senator says the pay-at-the-pump plan will not survive Judiciary Committee. He and Roberti engage in a shouting match over the assignment.

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

The Legislature’s fledgling “pay-at-the-pump,” no-fault automobile insurance bill was sent to a potentially hostile Senate committee Wednesday, an action its author said condemned the proposal to death for this session.

“It’s dead,” an angry Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) said moments after the Senate Rules Committee voted unanimously to send his bill to the Judiciary Committee for action, historically the Senate cemetery for no-fault legislation.

Under the pay-at-the-pump proposal, California motorists would be automatically covered by a basic no-fault car insurance system financed by a surcharge on gasoline purchases. Supporters contend the plan would dramatically reduce the cost of auto insurance in California by eliminating insurance company overhead and costly lawsuits.

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The action touched off a shouting match between Torres and Senate leader David A. Roberti (D-Van Nuys), usually two close political allies. Torres argued that the public is fed up with special interest-dominated “business as usual” in Sacramento and wants car insurance reformed after years of broken promises and gridlock.

Passage of the bill, he said, would finally accomplish reform. But Roberti favored allowing the Judiciary Committee to vote on the bill, chiefly on grounds that personal injury and property damage issues traditionally have been dealt with by that committee.

“Don’t you people get the message?” Torres suddenly erupted, jumping to his feet and slamming his fist against the witness table.

Roberti shouted back, repeatedly: “Everybody doesn’t agree with you, Sen. Torres. Everybody doesn’t agree with you. . . . The public voted against no-fault in 1988.”

Almost screaming, Torres told Roberti that the “issue isn’t agreeing with me, the issue is trying to reform this house.”

The committee agreed to send the pay-at-the-pump bill to the Insurance Committee and the Judiciary Committee, either of which could approve or kill it.

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Torres, chairman of the Insurance Committee and a potential contender for insurance commissioner next year, wanted the Rules Committee to send his bill only to the Insurance Committee. He opposed referring it to the Judiciary Committee, where the influence of the personal injury attorneys’ lobby is strong and where no-fault bills have failed for at least 20 years.

Under no fault, a motorist’s own insurance pays for his or her own collision damages, regardless of who is at fault. Many costly lawsuits would be eliminated. The insurance industry long has favored no fault over the opposition of personal injury lawyers, but has not embraced the pay-at-the-pump proposal.

But Sen. Bill Lockyer (D-San Leandro), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, urged that the bill be sent to his panel. Among other things, he said it was the committee’s task to protect the rights of Californians to sue for damages caused by the negligence of others.

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