Latest news with #HouseInsuranceCommittee
American Press
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- American Press
Jim Beam column:Landry loves political power
Louisiana's Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has never met a political power that he doesn't like. This time it's an auto insurance situation.(Photo courtesy of The Louisiana Illuminator). Louisiana's Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who in the last year has been given more power and authority than any governor since the late-Huey P. Long nearly a century ago, said he doesn't understand why the state's insurance commissioner refuses to accept more power. Landry made that statement during an April 16 House Insurance Committee meeting on House Bill 576 by Rep. Robby Carter, D-Amite, that would give the insurance commissioner greater freedom to reject excessive auto insurance rates. 'The last time I checked,' Landry said, 'I've yet to find a politician not willing and eager to accept more power.' Commissioner Tim Temple also testified at that hearing that under current law he can suppress rates for practical reasons, primarily if the rates are actuarily justified. He said Carter's bill would return to the days when the state had an insurance rating commission that often set rates for political reasons. Temple said three successive insurance commissioners elected in the 1980s and 1990s went to prison after facing accusations of accepting illegal favors from insurance companies. The commissioner and others have said it's obvious that Landry wants to put greater responsibility on the commissioner so he can blame Temple if car insurance rates keep rising. Landry insists the Legislature has passed laws to lower rates but premiums keep rising and insurance companies are making unbelievable profits. He was extremely emotional during that hearing. The governor said if lawmakers didn't pass Carter's bill, he would bring them back in a special session to get it done. Carter's bill cleared that committee with a 13-4-1 vote and was scheduled for full House debate on April 28. However, Carter put off a vote twice, apparently because he lacked the support the legislation needed. Landry proved on April 30 that he wanted that Carter bill passed and that he would do whatever it took to make it happen. The Advocate reported that the governor got Rep. Jeff Wiley, R-Gonzales, to allow Rep. Brian Glorioso, R-Slidell, to allow an amendment to one of his bills (HB 148) that was actually the Carter bill that Carter couldn't get passed in the House. The newspaper said Landry 'powered over Republican opponents in the state House' and the amendment was approved 67-33. Only 36 Republicans supported it, while 33 opposed it. All 31 Democrats voted for the amendment. The bill passed the House 68-34 and went to the Senate. To their credit, Republican Reps. Brett Geymann of Moss Bluff, Chuck Owen of Rosepine, Rodney Schamerhorn of Hornbeck and Phillip Tarver of Lake Charles were four of the 33 who opposed the amendment. Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, who worked for the Insurance Department for a decade, explained why passage of the bill was a terrible idea. 'We're sending a message to the industry that we're an unstable place to do business,' Davis said. Rolfe McCollister, author and CEO of the Baton Rouge Business Report, isn't buying Landry's 'balanced approach' between insurance companies and trial lawyers on auto insurance. McCollister said in a column that he remembered Landry's veto of a critical auto insurance bill last year 'when you had a chance to do the right thing. This is a matter of who the people will trust …' The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry on June 18, 2024, said Landry's veto of that bill that held promise in lowering rates was a major disappointment. It said the legislation 'was a compromise bill that helped bring fairness, predictability and transparency to our legal system.' LABI added, 'The governor's signature would have sent a resounding message to insurance carriers throughout the state and the country that Louisiana is indeed open for business as we work to fix our unstable insurance market.' Landry's veto last year took the steam out of insurance reform that could have been more successful. And he's been ranting and raving about passing the Carter bill since it was introduced. Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, chair of the House Insurance Committee, and a strong Landry supporter, told The Advocate in an interview how dangerous the Carter bill is. 'I think this bill has the potential to completely nullify all the good bills we may pass and the potential to negate all the property reforms we made last year,' Firment said. 'It will send a chilling effect to the entire market. It could be catastrophic for our insurance market.' Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or Reply Forward Add reaction
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Illinois bill to include horse riding therapy in coverage passes House Insurance Committee
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinoisans insured by the state may soon be able to saddle up during their therapy. The state insurance program may soon start covering horseback riding as part of therapy. A bill that passed in the House Insurance Committee would expand insurance coverage for hippotherapy when prescribed by a licensed occupational or speech therapist. Hippotherapy, also known as therapeutic horseback riding, is done by a licensed therapist with assistance from a professional horse handler to support a person to have better physical movement and cognitive processing. It is often used for people with physical disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, arthritis and in some cases Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Illinois recognizes 30th annual Arson Awareness Week The bill didn't have any witness slips in opposition. Representative Tracy Katz Muhl (D-Northbrook), who is sponsoring the bill in the House, said everyone will benefit from the care. 'My younger sister, who is the director of Special Education for all of Boulder County, Colorado, got started as a volunteer for this program. It changed lives for both staff and participants,' she said. The bill also expands coverage for other treatments, including post-mastectomy care. If the law passes, counties that are self-insured will also be required to cover these . The bill passed the Insurance Committee with nine votes in favor and three opposed, and will now head to the House floor for debate. If passed and signed into law, the coverage would begin in 2027. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry's approach to lower insurance rates could cast political fate
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a conservative Republican, drew praise from liberal Democrats after he railed against large corporations and called for stricter regulations on the insurance industry — an uncommon spectacle that suggested the governor is staking his political fate on lowering policy rates. Testifying in a nearly two-hour exchange Wednesday with lawmakers on the House Insurance Committee, Landry urged his fellow Republicans to break from their traditional alignment with insurance companies and vote in favor of House Bill 576, a Democrat-backed proposal that's part of an agenda Landry has described as a 'balanced approach' to the decades-old rate debate between personal injury lawyers and the insurance companies they sue. Louisiana pollster John Couvillon said Landry can't really afford not to take on the insurance issue because policy premiums are by far the most overwhelming concern of voters and likely outweighs any risk associated with bipartisanship. 'If he can bend the cost curve on insurance rates, that's something he can take credit for,' Couvillon said. 'Who he works with to do it is much more insider baseball. I don't know if that kind of perception would matter with the average Louisiana voter who's really more concerned with high insurance rates.' Landry has included multiple bills on his agenda that target both insurance companies and trial lawyers, but House Bill 576 could be part of a larger political calculation that affords him more opportunities for reward than risk. Cosponsored by moderate Democrats Robby Carter of Amite and Chad Brown of Plaquemine, the bill would give the state insurance commissioner the power to prohibit any insurance rates considered 'excessive' during any market conditions. Currently, the commissioner can only exercise that power after holding a public hearing in which someone proves that the insurance market lacks competition. The bill applies to all lines of insurance, though Landry has focused his attention mostly on auto and property insurance rates. Spikes in homeowner premiums occurred after a series of destructive storms starting in 2020 and have been mostly limited to the coastal regions. Premiums for auto insurance have long been elevated across Louisiana, and lawmakers have struggled to identify a clear reason why, believing the problem is rooted in policy decisions. Landry and Brown sat shoulder-to-shoulder Wednesday as they presented the measure, which includes an amendment the governor said he wrote himself and modeled after a law in Mississippi. Louisiana's neighbor has average auto insurance rates that are nearly half the amount of Louisiana's, according to U.S. News & World Report. Brown's bill cleared the committee in a 13-4 vote but still has a ways to go before final passage, and Landry's office would not say if the governor will continue to shepherd the bill over each subsequent hurdle. 'It certainly helped that the governor was there to support it,' Brown said in an interview, adding that he hopes Landry will testify at subsequent hearings. He thinks the governor has sent a clear enough message to Republican lawmakers about what they need to vote for. Landry paired his appearance with rhetoric that potentially puts him at odds with his own party, which has traditionally favored pro-capitalist narratives. 'We're losing sight of something that's been going on in this country for quite some time, and that is consolidation … That is exactly why we need this law,' Landry said, 'because we have allowed corporations to control large market shares in violation of Sherman [Antitrust Act] again and again.' Congress passed the Sherman Act in 1890 to establish rules for competitive trade and prevent unfair monopolies. Rep. Edmond Jordan of Baton Rouge and New Orleans Reps. Matt Willard and Mandie Landry, all Democrats, thanked the governor for putting effort into the issue and trying to hold insurance companies accountable. They joined Landry in arguing tort reform legislation, which is based on the idea that trial lawyers have an unfair advantage in court, has not worked. One of the four Republicans who voted against the Brown bill, Rep. Jay Gallé of Mandeville, told his colleagues it would undermine 'all free market principles' of supply and demand and ultimately discourage new insurance companies from coming to Louisiana. He argued it would give the insurance commissioner sole authority to arbitrarily decide rates. Brown clarified the commissioner would only be able to approve or reject rates, not set them. The governor argued Louisiana could never have a 'free market' for insurance because the law requires drivers and homeowners to have coverage. 'The free-market rules do not apply when the consumer is mandated to buy something,' Landry said. In a later interview, Gallé said he was in an uncomfortable situation having to choose between supporting his party leader versus following his conscience and beliefs. 'When it is a quote-unquote 'governor's bill,' the pressure is already on you, and when he takes the time to come and sit in the room that adds a little more pressure,' Gallé said. 'I hated to go against the governor, but at the end of the day I had to go with what's best for my district.' LA GATOR applications More than 39,000 Louisiana students apply for LA GATOR program, Education Department reports Landry suspends late fees at OMV Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles suspends driver's license late fees amid system issues Whether the Brown bill would even have an impact on insurance rates is questionable. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, who is opposed to it — and in a public feud with the governor — has said actuaries in his office have reviewed high policy rates in Louisiana and found them to be justified based on losses insurers have accrued in defending lawsuits. The governor's bill would back the commissioner into a corner, forcing him to choose between rates based on market data or rates artificially suppressed for political reasons, Temple said. The governor has cast suspicion on Temple's opposition to the bill, repeating an argument Rep. Mandie Landry made earlier in the hearing when she suggested to the governor that politicians usually don't shy away from gaining more power. 'I've never seen a politician not want more power,' the governor said. At the same time, some claim the governor is focused on Brown's proposal because he hopes giving more power to Temple would allow him to blame the commissioner if rates fail to improve. Temple's office pointed to Gov. Landry's April 9 discussion with conservative radio host Moon Griffon in which the governor suggested as much. 'If we … implement that here, giving our insurance commissioner those tools, and if the rates don't go down, it's on him,' the governor told Griffon. But according to Couvillon, deflecting blame away from the governor would be a more difficult task than most people realize. Voters are much more familiar with the governor than the insurance commissioner, so it would take a very effective messaging strategy to deflect any blame. 'Voters tend to hold the governor accountable for things like high insurance rates whether it is a deserved measurement or not,' Couvillon said. If Gov. Landry's agenda has little effect and coverage premiums remain about the same, there's enough time to try to recast his political fate and convince voters to overlook it before his re-election bid in 2027. The greatest risk in the governor's calculation lies in the possibility that insurance rates continue to increase, which would be a much bigger problem for Gov. Landry, Couvillon said. On the other hand, the insurance commissioner has said repeatedly previous reforms have started having an impact on homeowner coverage lines. On Wednesday, Temple told the committee eight insurers have filed rate decreases for 2025. 'It is working,' Temple said. 'Rates are coming down.' House Bill 576 will next move to the House floor for consideration. — The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry insurance stance could cast political fate
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Landry's approach to lower insurance rates could cast his political fate
Gov. Jeff Landry, flanked by Deputy Chief of Staff Lance Maxwell and Executive Counsel Angelique Freel, waits to testify at the House Insurance Committee on April 16, 2025. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) Gov. Jeff Landry, a conservative Republican, drew praise from liberal Democrats after he railed against large corporations and called for stricter regulations on the insurance industry — an uncommon spectacle that suggested the governor is staking his political fate on lowering policy rates. Testifying in a nearly two-hour exchange Wednesday with lawmakers on the House Insurance Committee, Landry urged his fellow Republicans to break from their traditional alignment with insurance companies and vote in favor of House Bill 576, a Democrat-backed proposal that's part of an agenda Landry has described as a 'balanced approach' to the decades-old rate debate between personal injury lawyers and the insurance companies they sue. Louisiana pollster John Couvillon said Landry can't really afford not to take on the insurance issue because policy premiums are by far the most overwhelming concern of voters and likely outweighs any risk associated with bipartisanship. 'If he can bend the cost curve on insurance rates, that's something he can take credit for,' Couvillon said. 'Who he works with to do it is much more insider baseball. I don't know if that kind of perception would matter with the average Louisiana voter who's really more concerned with high insurance rates.' Landry has included multiple bills on his agenda that target both insurance companies and trial lawyers, but House Bill 576 could be part of a larger political calculation that affords him more opportunities for reward than risk. Cosponsored by moderate Democrats Robby Carter of Amite and Chad Brown of Plaquemine, the bill would give the state insurance commissioner the power to prohibit any insurance rates considered 'excessive' during any market conditions. Currently, the commissioner can only exercise that power after holding a public hearing in which someone proves that the insurance market lacks competition. The bill applies to all lines of insurance, though Landry has focused his attention mostly on auto and property insurance rates. Spikes in homeowner premiums occurred after a series of destructive storms starting in 2020 and have been mostly limited to the coastal regions. Premiums for auto insurance have long been elevated across Louisiana, and lawmakers have struggled to identify a clear reason why, believing the problem is rooted in policy decisions. Landry and Brown sat shoulder-to-shoulder Wednesday as they presented the measure, which includes an amendment the governor said he wrote himself and modeled after a law in Mississippi. Louisiana's neighbor has average auto insurance rates that are nearly half the amount of Louisiana's, according to U.S. News & World Report. Brown's bill cleared the committee in a 13-4 vote but still has a ways to go before final passage, and Landry's office would not say if the governor will continue to shepherd the bill over each subsequent hurdle. 'It certainly helped that the governor was there to support it,' Brown said in an interview, adding that he hopes Landry will testify at subsequent hearings. He thinks the governor has sent a clear enough message to Republican lawmakers about what they need to vote for. Landry paired his appearance with rhetoric that potentially puts him at odds with his own party, which has traditionally favored pro-capitalist narratives. Louisiana lawmakers dissect personal injury laws as attorney-legislators protest 'We're losing sight of something that's been going on in this country for quite some time, and that is consolidation … That is exactly why we need this law,' Landry said, 'because we have allowed corporations to control large market shares in violation of Sherman [Antitrust Act] again and again.' Congress passed the Sherman Act in 1890 to establish rules for competitive trade and prevent unfair monopolies. Rep. Edmond Jordan of Baton Rouge and New Orleans Reps. Matt Willard and Mandie Landry, all Democrats, thanked the governor for putting effort into the issue and trying to hold insurance companies accountable. They joined Landry in arguing tort reform legislation, which is based on the idea that trial lawyers have an unfair advantage in court, has not worked. One of the four Republicans who voted against the Brown bill, Rep. Jay Gallé of Mandeville, told his colleagues it would undermine 'all free market principles' of supply and demand and ultimately discourage new insurance companies from coming to Louisiana. He argued it would give the insurance commissioner sole authority to arbitrarily decide rates. Brown clarified the commissioner would only be able to approve or reject rates, not set them. The governor argued Louisiana could never have a 'free market' for insurance because the law requires drivers and homeowners to have coverage. 'The free market rules do not apply when the consumer is mandated to buy something,' Gov. Landry said. In a later interview, Gallé said he was in an uncomfortable situation having to choose between supporting his party leader versus following his conscience and beliefs. 'When it is a quote-unquote 'governor's bill,' the pressure is already on you, and when he takes the time to come and sit in the room that adds a little more pressure,' Gallé said. 'I hated to go against the governor, but at the end of the day I had to go with what's best for my district.' Whether the Brown bill would even have an impact on insurance rates is questionable. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, who is opposed to it — and in a public feud with the governor — has said actuaries in his office have reviewed high policy rates in Louisiana and found them to be justified based on losses insurers have accrued in defending lawsuits. The governor's bill would back the commissioner into a corner, forcing him to choose between rates based on market data or rates artificially suppressed for political reasons, Temple said. The governor has cast suspicion on Temple's opposition to the bill, repeating an argument Rep. Mandie Landry made earlier in the hearing when she asked the governor if he ever knew of a politician who shied away from having greater control. 'I've never seen a politician not want more power,' the governor said. At the same time, some claim the governor is focused on Brown's proposal because he hopes giving more power to Temple would allow him to blame the commissioner if rates fail to improve. Temple's office pointed to Gov. Landry's April 9 discussion with conservative radio host Moon Griffon in which the governor suggested as much. 'If we … implement that here, giving our insurance commissioner those tools, and if the rates don't go down, it's on him,' the governor told Griffon. But according to Couvillon, deflecting blame away from the governor would be a more difficult task than most people realize. Voters are much more familiar with the governor than the insurance commissioner, so it would take a very effective messaging strategy to deflect any blame. 'Voters tend to hold the governor accountable for things like high insurance rates whether it is a deserved measurement or not,' Couvillon said. If Gov. Landry's agenda has little effect and coverage premiums remain about the same, there's enough time to try to recast his political fate and convince voters to overlook it before his re-election bid in 2027. The greatest risk in the governor's calculation lies in the possibility that insurance rates continue to increase, which would be a much bigger problem for Gov. Landry, Couvillon said. On the other hand, the insurance commissioner has said repeatedly previous reforms have started having an impact on homeowner coverage lines. On Wednesday, Temple told the committee eight insurers have filed rate decreases for 2025. 'It is working,' Temple said. 'Rates are coming down.' House Bill 576 will next move to the House floor for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Landry to testify on insurance bill as rates remain highest in US
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Gov. Jeff Landry will testify before state lawmakers Wednesday morning as part of his ongoing push to overhaul Louisiana's insurance system and bring down the highest car and home insurance rates in the nation. Landry is supporting House Bill 576, sponsored by Rep. Robby Carter (D-Amite), which would make sweeping changes to how insurance rates are regulated in Louisiana. The bill would strip the state's insurance commissioner of the power to reject rates in competitive markets—even if they're considered excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory. It would also prohibit the commissioner from rejecting any rate that is actuarially justified. The proposed legislation repeals current rules that distinguish between 'competitive' and 'noncompetitive' markets, replacing them with a uniform standard. Under the bill, a rate could only be disapproved if it fails to meet the general standards of fairness and actuarial support. Car and homeowners insurance in Louisiana have been identified as the most expensive in the country. According to Bankrate, the average cost of full-coverage car insurance is $3,994—more than double the national average. Insurify estimates the state's average annual home insurance premium will rise to $13,937 in 2025, the highest in the U.S. Gov. Jeff Landry outlines priorities for Louisiana legislative session The changes come amid growing public frustration over soaring premiums and limited insurance availability following several destructive storm seasons. In a post to X last week, Landry appeared to take aim at Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, writing, 'I'd remind him that we were not elected by insurance companies or trial lawyers, but instead were elected by the people who entrusted us to fix this mess.' Temple has pushed back on criticism, arguing that companies are not profiting in Louisiana but are instead leaving the state because of unsustainable losses and legal risk. He has introduced his own package of insurance reform bills, setting up competing visions for how to stabilize the market. Landry's plan includes a ban on insurers passing along advertising costs to consumers and a proposal to hold both insurance companies and trial lawyers accountable for costs passed on to policyholders. The regular legislative session continues through June 12. The full House Insurance Committee is expected to take up HB 576 at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 16. Landry's testimony before the House Insurance Committee will be streamed live within this story. Lying to get cheaper car insurance can end up costing you Landry to testify on insurance bill as rates remain highest in US Bigger Social Security payments going out this month: Do you qualify? Judge rules against parents who wore wristbands to protest transgender student athlete White House on tariff deal with Beijing: 'The ball is in China's court' Who is Cody Allen Balmer, man accused of attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's home? Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
