(Radio Iowa) – There’s a fierce debate between appraisers and the insurance industry over a bill that would adjust some rules for the evaluation of damaged property in Iowa. The Iowa House has unanimously approved the changes, but the bill is in limbo in the Senate. Republican Senator Zach Nunn of Bondurant says he and others want to review the arguments before deciding whether to advance the bill.

“This past weekend we had horrific disasters across our state,” Nunn says. “…I want to make sure that we have a bill that really takes care of the property owner first, specifically those who have been impacted by catastrophic loss.” Iowa Insurance Institute lobbyist Brittany Lumley says the bill is necessary because a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling gave appraisers too much leeway.

“It’s just making sure the appraisers stick to the loss and the cost of the damage as opposed to the coverage causation disputes, which are best left to the courts,” she says. Tim Johnson is the Cedar Rapids attorney who handled the court case that’s at the center of this dispute. He says it the bill becomes law, lawyers like him will make a lot of money taking insurance companies to court.

“The citizens of Iowa cannot afford to not have a cheap resolution process that gets these claims resolved without needing somebody like me,” Johnson says. Johnson is urging lawmakers to preserve the current process that lets a property owner ask a neutral umpire to resolve a dispute over insurance claims when appraisers for the insurance company and the property owner do not agree. The insurance industry’s lobbyist says that option will remain, but appraisers will no longer be able to judge what caused the damage if the bill becomes law.