Staten Island Accident $1,000 Scholarship Essay

QUALIFICATIONS:

• The scholarship opportunity is open to undergrad through post-grad students. All applicants must be actively enrolled in a U.S. college/university.
• The scholarship submission should contain the authors name, address, phone number, current major and college.
• All essays should be emailed to statenislandscholarship@yahoo.com.
• All submissions must be in .pdf format.
• All submissions must be received by December 31, 2026.
• Winner will be announced on our website on January 31, 2027.

2026 ESSAY TOPIC
In 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul introduced a series of auto insurance and personal injury reform proposals as part of her broader “affordability” agenda in New York. Her plan focuses on reducing fraud and lowering insurance costs, but it does so by changing how personal injury claims work. Her goals seem to be to stop people from exploiting the system for large payouts and cutting down on questionable claims, in hopes to lower car insurance premiums overall.

Do you believe that stricter laws targeting insurance fraud, such as cracking down on staged accidents, will make it harder for legitimate personal injury victims to recover damages? Please explain your answer.

Essay Guidelines:

• Essays should be 1500 words max.
• Only answer the questions provided
• Use online articles and caselaw to support your essay.
• Proper grammar, spelling, and citations should be used.
• All submissions will be checked for plagiarism and AI usage.