NCOIL Names New Officers

The National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL), elected the following officers for 2008: Sen. James Seward (NY) as President-Elect; Rep. Robert Damron (KY) as Vice President; Rep. George Keiser (ND) as Secretary; and Sen. Carroll Leavell (NM) as Treasurer.

In addition, Rep. Brian Kennedy (RI), president of NCOIL, announced that he had appointed co-chairs for the 2008 standing committees, in order to enhance balance within committee leadership.

Financial Services & Investment Products: Rep. Fulton Sheen (MI) and Assem. Ivan Lafayette (NY)

Health, Long-Term Care & Health Retirement Issues: Rep. Susan Westrom (KY) and Del. Harvey Morgan (VA)

International Insurance Issues: Rep. Frank Wald (ND) and Rep. Craig Eiland (TX)

Life Insurance & Financial Planning: Sen. Joseph Crisco (CT) and Rep. Michael Ripley (IN)

Natural Disaster Insurance Legislation (subcommittee): Sen. Steven Geller (FL) and Sen. Dean Kirby (MS)

NCOIL-NAIC Liaison: Sen. Ralph Hudgens (GA) and Rep. Larry Taylor (TX)

Property-Casualty Insurance: Sen. Robert Dearing (MS) and Sen. David Bates (RI)

State-Federal Relations: Rep. Greg Wren (AL) and Rep. Robert Damron (KY)

Workers’ Compensation Insurance: Rep. Kurt Olson (AK) and
Sen. Ann Cummings (VT)

Kennedy said he has great confidence in the ability of the new officers and co-chairs to guide NCOIL during this time of unprecedented interest in preempting state authority.

“We are at a crucial stage in the regulation of insurance,” Kennedy added. “The threat of an optional federal charter (OFC) gets stronger each year and we, as an organization of state legislators, must continue to advocate against an OFC and must tell our federal counterparts in the House and Senate that an OFC represents bad public policy — that it would be detrimental to our constituents and our state governments.”

Kennedy pledged to continue advocating for inclusion of legislators in important insurance policy decisions. He also said he had appointed a subcommittee, consisting of NCOIL officers and past presidents, that will meet regularly at future NCOIL meetings to discuss implementation of groundbreaking recommendations contained in the just-released Phase II of a Study on State Authority. The report, Kennedy explained, takes an aerial view of state regulation, identifies where it works well, and lays out strategies for necessary state reform.

NCOIL is an organization of state legislators whose main area of public policy concern is insurance legislation and regulation.

Source: NCOIL,
www.ncoil.org