Although insurance claims may be the last thing on the minds of many folks in Texas at the moment, HB 1774, which governs “force of nature” related insurance claims, is currently set to go into effect on September 1, 2017. Though the bill is known as the “Hail Bill” and was largely intended to help curb abusive legal practices resulting from hail storms here in Texas, it does potentially have further reaching effects than just hail claims. There has been a significant volume of conflicting media coverage of this bill and what it does and does not do, so you may become confused while trying to sort through the information. Please know, in an ideal world, HB 1774 should not affect how you file a claim and how much your insurer pays you for that claim. In the frustrating case where an insurer denies or improperly pays your claim and you are forced to file suit, however, some changes are coming that you may want to avoid. Hopefully this update will provide clarity regarding the potential impact of HB 1774 on your potential claims, and delineate what kind of claims may be timesensitive due to its enactment.