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Joint Insurance & Commerce committee batches interim studies, authorizes chairs to approve travel and registration expenses
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Summary
The joint Insurance & Commerce committee approved minutes from Dec. 16, 2020, authorized the committee chairs to approve special expenses (including travel and registration for meetings such as NCOIL), and voted to batch five interim study proposals for study; the session was brief and adjourned.
The joint Insurance & Commerce committee met in September and, in a brief session called to order at 1:30 p.m., approved several administrative items including the batching of interim study proposals and authorization for committee chairs to approve special expenses.
The committee first approved the minutes from Dec. 16, 2020. The chair asked for a motion to accept the minutes; the motion was seconded (the second was named in the transcript as John Maddox) and the chair said the motion carried.
The committee then voted to authorize the two committee chairs to approve special expenses for House and Senate members on insurance and commerce matters, including transportation and registration for meetings such as the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) and, possibly, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The motion passed; the chair described the authorization as applying to special expenses incurred by the committees.
On interim study proposals (ISPs), Chairman Lowery told members he had spoken with Representative Boyd, who asked that his ISP be passed over at this meeting so he could revise it; Lowery said Boyd had concerns about whether a steering committee should be formed and referenced a commission appointed by Governor Beebe about a decade earlier. "He's asked that we pass over that today," Chairman Lowery said.
The committee moved to batch ISPs 1 through 5 for approval to proceed with study. Senator Elliott made the motion and Representative Richardson seconded it. The chair noted during the tally that there was one "no" vote; the motion to batch the five proposals carried.
Senator Pitch announced the NCOIL winter meeting will be Nov. 17–20 in Scottsdale, Arizona, and explained the authorization process for members who wish to attend: send a letter to a committee chair (either Senator Pitch or the other chair) and the chair will forward it to the president pro tem or the speaker for approval. Pitch also noted scholarships are available for first-time NCOIL attendees. "November 17 through the 20 first are the dates for the NCOIL meeting," he said.
The chair apologized for the brief meeting, entertained a motion to adjourn (moved by Representative Garner), and adjourned the committee.
What this means: the committee authorized members to gather data and use legislative staff resources (referred to in the meeting as "BLR") to compile information for interim studies; one ISP was pulled for further revision by its sponsor, and five other ISPs were approved to proceed with study. No policy decisions or bill adoptions were made; the session focused on administrative approvals and scheduling.
Next steps: sponsors whose ISPs were approved may proceed with data gathering under BLR support; Representative Boyd may submit an amended ISP; members interested in attending NCOIL should follow the described letter-and-approval process.
