Posted: 2/1/2006
Several Insurance-Related Bills Survive Mississippi Committee Deadline, NAMIC Analysis Finds
INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 1, 2006)—Several bills of interest to the insurance industry were reported out of their committees of origin, surviving Tuesday’s deadline that saw more than 1,700 bills die in the Mississippi Legislature, a bill analysis done by the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) found today.
Among the bills meeting the Jan. 31 deadline is Senate Bill 2807, a bill that would create a statewide building code.
“NAMIC supports this legislation, and is working with a broad-based coalition of business and insurance entities to ensure its passage,” said Senior State Affairs Representative David Reddick.
Lawmakers already have enacted House Bill 409, a bill that creates primary enforcement provisions in the state’s seat belt law. The law takes effect on May 27.
Reddick noted that there are a diverse number of bills still active. They include:
- House Bill 982, which would require insurance agents to explain flood insurance coverage and verify the explanation with a customer’s signature;
- House Bill 984, which would require licensure of risk retention groups; and
- House Bill 1311, which would allow consumers to impose a security freeze on certain files maintained by credit reporting agencies.
Reddick said the next key legislative deadline is Feb. 9, when bills must be passed by the chambers where they originated.
Reddick said among the 624 Senate bills that died on Tuesday was Senate Bill 2143, a bill that would have provided for a flexible rating system in Mississippi.
“It would have been nice to engage lawmakers in a debate on this issue, but with several hurricane-related initiatives on their agenda this year, this issue will just have to wait for another year,” Reddick observed.
Other Senate bills that failed included:
- Senate Bill 2241, a bill requiring insurance agents to receive continuing education for flood insurance; and
- Senate Bill 2523, a bill that would have prohibited insurers from making campaign contributions in any campaign electing the state’s insurance commissioner.
On the House side, Reddick said 1,085 bills died Tuesday, including House Bill 117. It would have prohibited the use of credit histories to determine eligibility for an insurance policy or to open a bank account. House Bill 808 which would have rolled back insurance rates to those in effect in July 2001.
The Mississippi Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on April 2.
For further information, contact
Rick Nelson, APR, CAE
(317) 875-5250 Tel
(317) 879-8408 Fax
rnelson@namic.org