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Committee of the Whole advances suite of insurance and banking bills; floor debate criticizes repeated "shell" bills
Summary
The Committee of the Whole reported several Senate bills favorably — SB 27, SB 28, SB 32, SB 42 and SB 139 — primarily technical insurance and banking updates; some members criticized the practice of introducing similar bills in both chambers as creating "shells."
The House Committee of the Whole on March 14 reported multiple bills favorably, advancing a package of insurance and banking-related measures and technical updates.
Senate Bill 27 and SB 28 contain updates to insurance department reporting and licensing oversight, respectively; representatives said the language tracks work already passed previously in House bills and that the Senate made minor, largely technical adjustments. Representative Bergkamp, the bill carrier on multiple insurance measures, said the Senate made only minor changes and that both bills had unanimous support in the Senate.
Senate Bill 32 was described as a small fee reduction. Representative Bergkamp explained that a 2% fee assessed on premiums would be lowered to 1.98%, with the Chamber noting the change was intended to save money for policyholders. Representative Carmichael and others voiced opposition to the bundle of insurance bills not on their merits but because they said the practice of introducing similar bills in both chambers creates an overabundance of legislative “shells” and wastes taxpayer and staff resources.
Senate Bill 42 would implement a web-based auto insurance verification system; supporters noted the Senate passed the measure 38-2 and that the House committee altered only the publication date. Representative Rivas summarized SB 139 as a set of updates to the Kansas banking code, clarifying merger procedures, trust office locations and administrative hearing procedures.
For each bill the committee chair moved to report the committee report favorably, and the motions carried by voice votes or the committee's recorded practice. The committee report read on the floor recommended SB 27, SB 28, SB 32, SB 42 and SB 139 be passed as amended. Several members urged efficiency in drafting and coordination to avoid duplicative “shell” bills; others argued the measures are needed and noncontroversial on their merits.
Next steps: the House took the committee report and adopted it on the floor; individual bills will proceed through the remaining chamber procedures as appropriate.
