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Committee reviews bill removing some commissioner reporting duties and simplifying enforcement definition
Summary
Senate Bill 27 would eliminate certain annual reporting requirements to the governor and streamline the statutory definition of "person" in insurance enforcement statutes; department witnesses said much of the material is already published online and the change is cleanup.
At a Kansas Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance hearing, committee staff member Eileen briefed members on Senate Bill 27, saying the bill would remove the statutory requirement that the insurance commissioner submit annual reports to the governor and strike several specific entities from the statutory definition of "person" in the insurance enforcement statute.
The bill amends KSA 40‑108 to delete the annual report requirement to the governor about the conduct and condition of insurance companies; amends KSA 40‑2253 to remove a requirement to report a proposed plan and cost impact assessment for uniform electronic data interchange formats; and amends KSA 40‑2,125 (the insurance enforcement statute) to narrow the enumerated list of entity types in the definition of "person," leaving risk‑bearing entities specifically listed and otherwise broadening the definition to avoid frequent statutory edits, Eileen said.
Eric Turek of the Kansas Department of Insurance testified in support and called parts of the bill "cleanup." Turek told the committee the commissioner is an elected statewide official and that the department already posts annual reports on its website. He said the requirement to submit a "proto internet age" paper report to the governor and legislature dates to statutes from 1993 and that eliminating the duplicative requirement is administrative cleanup. "The annual reports are already listed on our website under the publication section," Turek said.
Committee members asked whether any other statutes require an annual report to the governor and whether removing the statutory text might inadvertently eliminate a current obligation. Senator Francisco asked specifically whether the department is statutorily required to produce an annual report; Turek said he would have to research that and report back before the committee works the bill. The committee record shows no opponent or neutral testimony on Senate Bill 27 and the committee closed the hearing after questions and the department’s remarks.
The hearing record indicates discussion only; no formal motions or committee votes on Senate Bill 27 were recorded in the transcript.
