2003 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 334 – Insurer, government-owned

HOUSE BILL NO. 334

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View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



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Daily Data Tracking History



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

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
 Fifty-seventh Legislature                 First Regular Session - 2003
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN 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 / Fiscal Impact



                       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