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H0334........................................................by WAYS AND MEANS GOVERNMENT-OWNED INSURER - Amends existing law to provide that no insurer or affiliate of an insurer, the voting control or ownership of which is held in whole or substantial part by any government or governmental agency or which is operated for or by any such government or agency other than the Idaho State Insurance Fund, shall be authorized to transact insurance in Idaho; to provide that an insurer that is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(27)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code, and any affiliate of such insurer, shall be conclusively presumed to be a governmental agency or to be operated by a governmental agency; and to provide a definition of "affiliate." 03/06 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing 03/07 Rpt prt - to Bus 03/14 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg 03/17 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg 03/20 3rd rdg - FAILED - 31-39-0 AYES -- Andersen, Barraclough, Black, Block, Boe, Campbell, Collins, Cuddy, Deal, Denney, Edmunson, Field(18), Field(23), Garrett, Jaquet, Jones, Kellogg, Martinez, Meyer, Miller, Ridinger, Ring, Sayler, Schaefer, Shepherd, Shirley, Smith(30), Smith(24), Snodgrass, Trail, Mr. Speaker NAYS -- Barrett, Bauer, Bedke, Bell, Bieter, Bolz, Bradford, Cannon, Clark, Crow, Douglas, Eberle, Ellsworth, Eskridge, Gagner, Harwood, Henbest, Kulczyk, Lake, Langford, Langhorst, McGeachin, McKague, Mitchell, Moyle, Naccarato, Nielsen, Raybould, Ringo, Roberts, Robison, Rydalch, Sali, Skippen, Smylie, Stevenson, Tilman, Wills, Wood Absent and excused -- None Floor Sponsor - Deal Filed w/Office of the Chief Clerk
|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO |||| Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session - 2003IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE BILL NO. 334 BY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE 1 AN ACT 2 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT-OWNED INSURERS NOT TO BE AUTHORIZED TO TRANSACT BUSI- 3 NESS IN IDAHO; AMENDING SECTION 41-309, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE THAT NO 4 INSURER OR AFFILIATE OF AN INSURER THE VOTING CONTROL OR OWNERSHIP OF 5 WHICH IS HELD IN WHOLE OR SUBSTANTIAL PART BY ANY GOVERNMENT OR GOVERNMEN- 6 TAL AGENCY OR WHICH IS OPERATED FOR OR BY ANY SUCH GOVERNMENT OR AGENCY 7 OTHER THAN THE IDAHO STATE INSURANCE FUND SHALL BE AUTHORIZED TO TRANSACT 8 INSURANCE IN IDAHO, TO PROVIDE THAT AN INSURER THAT IS EXEMPT FROM TAXA- 9 TION UNDER SECTION 501(c)(27)(B) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE, AND ANY 10 AFFILIATE OF SUCH AN INSURER, SHALL BE CONCLUSIVELY PRESUMED TO BE A GOV- 11 ERNMENTAL AGENCY OR TO BE OPERATED BY A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY AND TO PRO- 12 VIDE A DEFINITION OF AFFILIATE. 13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho: 14 SECTION 1. That Section 41-309, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby 15 amended to read as follows: 16 41-309. GOVERNMENT-OWNED INSURERS NOT TO BE AUTHORIZED. No insurer or 17 affiliate of an insurer the voting control or ownership of which is held in 18 whole or substantial part by any government or governmental agency, or which 19 is operated for or by any such government or agency, other than the Idaho 20 state insurance fund, shall be authorized to transact insurance in this state. 21 Membership in a mutual insurer, or subscribership in a reciprocal insurer, or 22 ownership of stock of an insurer by the alien property custodian or similar 23 official of the United States, or supervision of an insurer by public insur- 24 ance supervisory authority shall not be deemed to be an ownership, control, or 25 operation of the insurer for the purposes of this subsection. For the purposes 26 of this section, an insurer that is exempt from taxation under section 27 501(c)(27)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code, and any affiliate of such an 28 insurer, shall be conclusively presumed to be a governmental agency or to be 29 operated by a governmental agency. For the purposes of this section, 30 "affiliate" shall mean an affiliate as defined in section 41-3801(1), Idaho 31 Code.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE RS 13103 This legislation is designed to preserve competition in the market for workers compensation insurance. Over the past few years, some state insurance funds in other states have either become privatized or have created "for profit" subsidiaries in order to compete in the insurance markets outside of their home state. State insurance funds have an inherent competitive advantage because of their tax-exempt status under the federal tax code. This legislation clarifies the existing law so that state funds that have truly privatized can compete in the Idaho market. The law would continue to prohibit the operation of those state insurance funds from other states, and their affiliates, that maintain the competitive advantage of federal tax-exempt status. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact to the state or to local units of government. Contact Name: Mike Brassey, Alliance of American Insurers Phone: (208) 336-7930 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE H 334