FOLEY — When Gov. Robert Bentley came to Foley Wednesday, he brought a message of support for recent legislation involving homeowners insurance.

In a news conference held at the Foley satellite office of the Baldwin County Courthouse, Bentley touted a group of seven bills, four of which passed Senate approval and three of which were signed off by the State House of Representatives.

“These bills will empower consumers and expand their options,” Bentley said Wednesday. “The lack of affordable homeowners insurance is an issue affecting many people across the state, especially those living along the Gulf Coast.”

That package of legislation includes Senate Bill, 230, which gives tax credits to insurance companies that write polices in particular areas in Baldwin and Mobile counties.

“I believe that if insurance companies are going to provide insurance in Alabama, they ought to do it for everybody,” Bentley said.

House Bill 166, Bentley said, provides clear definition of insurance policies “so they can make sure they are purchasing the coverage they need.”

Senate Bill 210 requires information to be sent to the Department of Insurance so it can be made available online in a searchable format.

“This is good for transparency in the insurance process,” Bentley said.

The governor added that Senate Bill 227 would enable homeowners to create a “catastrophe savings account,” which could be used to alleviate losses and deductible payments.

With House Bill 323, Bentley said, insurance fraud is clarified and assigned civic and criminal penalties. The governor also said that Senate Bill 164 allows Alabama insurers to make out-of-state investments.

“This measure makes Alabama more attractive for insurance companies to do business in the state,” Bentley said.

The final pieces of legislation, House Bill 405, enables a homeowner to cancel a roofing contract within 10 days of signing the document, if they learn that the procedure would not be paid for by their insurance company.

Bentley explained that the legislation package came as a result of work conducted by a 31-member committee made up of legislators, insurance representatives and consumers and commissioned in April 2011.

He added that he began addressing the issue upon taking office because of higher insurance and property-tax rates along the Gulf Coast and insurance policies that are canceled in the area due to weather-related incidents.

“I have a house in Tuscaloosa that’s valued at $500,000,” Bentley said. “I also have a house in Fort Morgan that’s worth $250,000..”

He added that annual insurance on his Fort Morgan home is more than three times the amount of his Fort Morgan property.

“I can afford it,” Bentley said, adding that the legislation package is aimed to help area residents living on an average income.

The governor said he plans to continue working on more homeowner-insurance reform.

“The next step is to look at the possibility of offering mitigation grants, like in Florida, to homeowners who retrofit their roofs,” Bentley said.

He added that an additional step would be the creation of an insurance authority.

“There will be a committee made up of 10 mayors that I will chair,” he said while repeating the step at Wednesday’s South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Leadership Luncheon. That particular step caught Michelle Kurtze of Homeowners Hurricane Insurance Commission off guard.

“We have not discussed this,” the Daphne resident said after the news conference. “But my hope is that we will have a thoughtful, free-flowing conversation.”

Bentley added that he plans to tap into available BP funds, as well as hold the petroleum company accountable for the 2010 oil spill “both economically and ecologically” he said at the luncheon.

Several of those involved with pushing the legislation package forward joined Bentley Wednesday. Among them was Rep. Steve McMillan.

“This legislation is a big win for consumers,” he said at the news conference. “Alabama is now on par with neighboring states, as far as information and fairness. We were one of a handful of states without an insurance-fraud law until we passed this legislation. Also, due to this legislation, Alabama now has a Homeowners Bill of Rights pertaining to insurance coverage.”

“It’s about time,” an audience member murmered.

Also in his visit to Foley, Bentley addressed South Baldwin infrastructure issues, during the luncheon.

“The extension of the Foley Expressway up to I-10, we’re working on that,” he said. “We’re also looking to extending it up to I-65.”