For Immediate Release
November 24, 2021
Contact: Emme Anderson
(732) 201-4133
NCOIL CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL ANNUAL MEETING IN SCOTTSDALE, AZ
Return to Fully In-Person Attendance; Six New Model Laws Adopted; Cooley Elected President
Manasquan, NJ – The nation’s premier legislator-led insurance public policy organization, the National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) concluded a successful 2021 Annual National Meeting (Meeting) in Scottsdale, AZ from November 17th – 20th at the Westin Kierland. In what
was the organization’s return to fully-in person attendance with no virtual option provided, NCOIL set an all-time attendance record with 357 participants consisting of 70 legislators from 25 states, 22 first-time legislators, seven Insurance Commissioners (or equivalent), and 12 insurance
departments represented.
“In my final meeting as President, I’m extremely proud of all that we have accomplished as an organization, especially with how unprecedented these past two years have been,” said Indiana Rep. Matt Lehman, who concluded his two terms as NCOIL President at the conclusion of the Meeting. “I couldn’t be happier with the turnout at this Meeting – especially the number of first-time legislators. We’ve now had back-to-back meetings where we have had over twenty first-time legislators. It’s really great to see our attendance numbers reach an all-time high even with COVID still being a disrupting factor in society. I look forward to seeing the organization continue to grow and succeed while developing timely and important model laws.”
NCOIL CEO, Commissioner Tom Considine said, “Scottsdale was a wonderful location for our first meeting back to fully in-person attendance, and everyone really enjoyed the city.” Considine continued, “As an organization that is made up of legislators, we are always thrilled to see new legislators attend their first NCOIL Meeting. The only way for us to continue to grow is by having dedicated legislators attend our meetings and engage in important insurance public policy discussions. We’re all looking forward to another year of continued growth and success.”
The Meeting began with the Budget Committee meeting on Wednesday evening, followed by the Welcome Breakfast the following morning where participants were greeted by Arizona Insurance Director Evan Daniels.
After the Welcome Breakfast, the Health Insurance & Long-Term Care Issues Committee, Chaired by New York Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter, met and adopted three new model laws: the NCOIL Accumulator Adjustment Program Model Act; the NCOIL Model Act Regarding Air Ambulance Patient Protections; and the NCOIL Telemedicine Authorization and Reimbursement Model Act.
The NCOIL Innovation Series continued with a discussion on Insurance Score Transparency. The discussion included Gary Sanginario, CPCU, AVP, from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, PJ Smith, Sr. Director of Product Management from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders, and Jesse McKendry, Senior VP of Insurance for Metromile. Other general sessions held during the Meeting included: “Prior Authorization in HealthCare – Are Gold Cards the Answer?”; and “Man’s Best Friend but Not Insurable?”
The Institutes Griffith Foundation also hosted a legislator luncheon during which Dr. David Pooser, Associate Professor of Risk Management at St. John’s University, delivered a presentation titled “Direct-to-Consumer Insurance: Discussing the Model and Exploring its Impact.”
The Financial Services & Multi-Lines Issues Committee, chaired by Louisiana Representative Edmond Jordan, met and adopted the NCOIL Remote Notarization Model Act, and the NCOIL Uniform Captive Insurer Model Act. The Committee also re-adopted the NCOIL Identity Theft Protection Model Act and discussed the first draft of the NCOIL Insurance Regulatory Sandbox Model Act.
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Committee, Chaired by Texas Representative Tom Oliverson, M.D., met and heard presentations on Texas occupational injury management and the pending case of Matilde Ek v. See’s Candies Inc. The Committee also adopted a Resolution Opposing Federal Monitoring of the State-Based Workers’ Compensation System.
The day concluded with the meeting of the Nominating Committee which voted to recommend a slate of new officers for next year. Arkansas Representative Deborah Ferguson, DDS will serve as Secretary, the first step in the NCOIL Officer ranks, and Texas Representative Tom Oliverson, M.D., will serve as Treasurer. The Nominating Committee also continued the advancement of California Assemblyman Ken Cooley, who will now serve as President, and New York Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, who will serve as Vice President. Outgoing President Indiana Representative Matt Lehman will serve alongside Arkansas Senator Jason Rapert as Immediate Past Presidents. The full body elected the slate on Saturday.
“I look forward to my term as NCOIL President and continuing to increase state legislator participation at NCOIL. I was very pleased with the amount of first-time legislator attendees in Scottsdale and I believe it is an indicator of where we are heading as an organization,” said California Assemblyman Ken Cooley, new NCOIL President.
The following day began with the meeting of the Life Insurance & Financial Planning Committee which discussed several issues including legislative and regulatory obstacles to the recruitment and retention of insurance producers, protecting vulnerable adults from financial exploitation, and paid family medical leave developments.
A very productive NCOIL-NAIC Dialogue was then held which included an impressive lineup of NAIC representatives: Alaska Director Lori Wing-Heier, Florida Commissioner and NAIC President David Altmaier, Idaho Director and NAIC President-Elect Dean Cameron, Indiana Commissioner Amy Beard, Montana Commissioner Troy Downing, and Oklahoma Commissioner Glen Mulready. Additionally, NAIC CEO Commissioner Mike Consedine also attended. The Dialogue included updates on State adoption of the NAIC Credit for Reinsurance Models, the NAIC Special Committee on Race and Insurance, and the new NAIC Letter Committee which will focus on innovation, technology, and cybersecurity in the insurance sector.
Longtime New York Assemblyman, NCOIL participant, and current Congressman Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) delivered the Keynote Address at Friday’s luncheon. Congressman Garbarino spoke about his experiences in Congress thus far and stressed to the first-time legislator attendees how valuable NCOIL can be for those looking to learn more about important insurance public policy issues.
The day concluded with a meeting of the Property & Casualty Insurance Committee, chaired by Kentucky Representative Bart Rowland. The Committee discussed state efforts to lower the uninsured motorist population, safety and insurance requirements for all terrain vehicles, and how the collapse of the Surfside condominiums in Florida might have an impact on property insurance and building standards going forward.
The Joint State-Federal Relations & International Insurance Issues Committee, chaired by Ohio Senator Bob Hackett, met on Saturday morning and adopted the NCOIL Resilient Revolving Loan Fund Model Act which is intended to implement provisions of the federal Safeguarding Tomorrow Through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act. The Committee also heard from Congressman Garbarino and others on the National Flood Insurance Program’s new rating methodology: Risk Rating 2.0, and re-adopted the NCOIL Company Licensing Modernization Model Act.
There were also two workshops during the course of the Meeting focused on educating legislators and providing them with methods on how to conduct effective legislative oversight. The workshops were led by Ben Eikey, Manager of State Training and Communications at the Levin Center at Wayne State Law; Carmen JM Simon, Evaluation & Strategic Planning Consultant; and Sara Gelser, Oregon Senate Majority Whip and Chair of the Oregon Senate Committee on Human Services, Mental Health and Recovery.
Assemblyman Cooley continued “Representative Lehman has done an incredible job as President, especially during such tumultuous times, and the organization is set up to succeed in large part because of his dedication.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting in Las Vegas in March where the agenda will again be filled with important issues to discuss and model laws to develop,” Cooley concluded.
Committee meeting minutes will be posted soon at www.ncoil.org.
The 2022 NCOIL Spring Meeting is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, NV at Harrah’s from March 3rd – 6th. Registration will open in December.
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NCOIL is a national legislative organization with the nation’s 50 states as members, represented principally by legislators serving on their states’ insurance and financial institutions committees. NCOIL writes Model Laws in insurance and financial services, works to preserve the State jurisdiction over insurance as established by the McCarran-Ferguson Act over seventy years ago, and to serve as an educational forum for public policymakers and interested parties. Founded in 1969, NCOIL works to assert the prerogative of legislators in making State policy when it comes to insurance and educate State legislators on current and longstanding insurance issues