About Previous Posts

Posts prior to this one were imported from the previous site, bandc.posterous.com, on April 29, 2013.  This site is managed by the staff of the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce, P.O. Box 12068, Austin, Texas 78711, 512-463-0365, fax 512-463-1613, email bc@senate.state.tx.us, http://www.twitter.com/txlegebc, official web site http://www.senate.state.tx.us/cmte/TxLegeBC.

Changes to our Online Presence

Yesterday (February 12, 2013), we experienced delays of several hours between submission to this site and posting. Combined with the apparent loss of the opt-in signup and notification process and the lack of response from tech support, we have come to the conclusion that this site no longer meets our needs. So, going forward:

1. The primary website for this Committee will be the official Texas Senate webpage at http://www.senate.state.tx.us/cmte/TxLegeBC .
2. The Committee will continue to use Twitter for notification and real-time updates, @TxLegeBC or www.twitter.com/txlegebc.
3. The Committee will post links to relevant documents and articles on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/txlegebc/.

Previous activity on this website is preserved and is available for review at our office in Room 370 of the Sam Houston Building on the grounds of the Texas Capitol in Austin.

Please feel free to email the Committee office at BC@Senate.State.TX.US with any questions.

PS if you left an umbrella in the hearing room, please claim it. Thank you.

 

 

It is always difficult to operate through a committee, a group, or a convention as the Founding Fathers did. Nevertheless, the history of the convention demonstrates that the final product was far stronger than any individual could have written it. Time has also proven the tremendous advantage of having a completely written document for reference purposes rather than relying upon tradition and a few scattered statutes as the fundamental law of the land.  — Skousen, The 5000 Year Leap

Test 10:23

test 12:28

Message body test

test

8:15 AM votes taken. SB 288 and Senator Carona recognized

8:10 AM SB 349 and Senator Nichols recognized

Update: Site problems, our apologies. Twitter is current @TxLegeBC

8:05 AM SB 289 and Senator Carona recognized

8:00 AM Called to Order, SB 60 and Senator Nelson recognized.

8:01 AM SB 60 and Senator Nelson recognized

Hearing called to order 8:00 AM

8am-11am live hearing updates via http://bandc.posterous.com/ and @txlegebc. Also, we will pass 80,000 site views #txlege

 The Chair calls up bills in the order of his pleasure, but the likely order of today’s bills is:

SB 60, SB 349, SB 289, SB 288, SB 297, SB 183, Pending (SJR 18, SB 244).

Video from February 5, 2013 hearing is online

http://www.senate.state.tx.us/avarchives/ramav.php?ram=00005653

Hearing posted for February 12, 2013

SENATE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

 Link to formal posting

COMMITTEE:    Business & Commerce  TIME & DATE:  8:00 AM, Tuesday, February 12, 2013  PLACE:        E1.016 (Hearing Room)  CHAIR:        Senator John Carona

 

The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce will convene at 8:00 a.m. on February 12, 2013, in room E1.016 of the Capitol Extension to take up the following bills for consideration as new business:

SB 60         Nelson                  Relating to the authority of a parent or legal guardian to establish a consumer file for a child and act on the child’s behalf with a consumer reporting agency.

SB 183        Carona                  Relating to certain inquiries made by the Texas Department of Insurance to insurers.

SB 288        Carona                  Relating to the regulation of crafted precious metal dealers.

SB 289        Carona                  Relating to the approval requirement for a rental-purchase agreement that includes a loss damage waiver provision.

SB 297        Carona                  Relating to prepaid funeral benefits contracts.

SB 349        Nichols                 Relating to standards for power lines.

At the Chair’s discretion, the Committee may also consider any pending business:

SB 244        Carona Relating to the administration, operation, supervision, and regulation of credit unions.

SJR 18        Carona Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the making of a reverse mortgage loan for the purchase of homestead property and to amend certain requirements in connection with a reverse mortgage loan.

Written testimony of any length is welcome, please submit to the Committee staff 15 copies with your name and the bill number on each copy of the written testimony. Please provide an electronic version of written testimony at your earliest convenience. Please limit oral remarks to three minutes. You may view hearing-related information at http://BandC.posterous.com.  Receive updates during the hearing on that site or by following the @txlegebc twitter account. Monitor the hearing by watching the live stream at http://www.senate.state.tx.us/bin/live.php.  Contact the Committee office at bc@senate.state.tx.us.

Regular meeting day and time

The Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce has been given the regular meeting day of Tuesday and the regular meeting time of 8 a.m. in E1.016 of the Capitol extension. #txlege #txlegebc

Results of February 5, 2013 hearing

The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce stands in recess, having concluded its posted agenda. The Committee reported the following bills favorably:

SB 112        Lucio                   Relating to a requirement for and the contents of a declarations page required for certain standard insurance policy forms for residential property insurance.

SB 138        Zaffirini               Relating to procedures for filing complaints with, and providing notice of certain violations to, the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists.

SB 147        Deuell                  Relating to the amount of outstanding total liability of a mortgage guaranty insurer.

SB 192        Carona                  Relating to access to criminal history record information by the banking commissioner.

SB 228        Williams                Relating to the regulation of the practice of public accountancy.

SB 230        Carona                  Relating to the applicability of state law governing funds transfers to certain remittance transfers.

The Committee left pending the following bills:

SB 244        Carona                 
Relating to the administration, operation, supervision, and regulation of credit unions.

SJR 18        Carona                 
Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the making of a reverse mortgage loan for the purchase of homestead property and to amend certain requirements in connection with a reverse mortgage loan.

Testimony will be uploaded to http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/commit/c510/c510.htm as time permits. 

This list is for informational purposes only and does not indicate which, if any, of these bills were amended or substituted, or other details. That information will be available on the Senate website when processed. The mechanics of moving bills through the Legislature typically introduce some time lag between action by the Committee and updating of the formal bill status online. You may email the committee at bc@senate.state.tx.us with any questions.

Business concluded, the committee stands in recess subject to the call of the chair 9:15 AM

9:05 AM Votes under way

9:00 AM SB 244 and Senator Carona recognized

Chairman Carona has indicated votes will be taken on bills this morning.

8:47 AM SJR 18 and Senator Carona recognized

8:45 AM SB 230 and Senator Carona recognized

8:40 AM SB 192 and Senator Carona (Senator Watson in the chair)

8:25 AM SB 147 and Senator Eltife for Senator Deuell

8:10 AM SB 112 and Senator Lucio recognized

8:08 AM SB 228 and Senator Williams recognized

SB 138 and Senator Zaffirini recognized

Hearing called to order 8:00 AM

How to See Bills, Bill Analysis, and Fiscal Impact Statements

The bill numbers on the posting are linked to information about that bill. If you click on the blue bill number, it takes you to a page maintained by the Texas Legislative Council with information about that bill. The page opens to a tab labeled “History.” If you click the next tab, “Text,” you can read the bill in any of three formats — Adobe Acrobat/PDF, online/HTML, and Microsoft Word/DOC. As the bill analysis and fiscal impact statement become available, they are also available from this page. 

Note that these links open within the current browser tab, instead of opening another tab or window. To return to this page, left arrow or back through the browser history. As an alternative, most browsers allow you to right-click on the link and get an “open in new window” or “open in new tab” link.

Formal Posting for February 5, 2013 Hearing

SENATE

(Link to Official Posting) NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

 COMMITTEE:    Business & Commerce 

TIME & DATE:  8:00 AM, Tuesday, February 05, 2013  PLACE:        E1.016 (Hearing Room)  CHAIR:        Senator John Carona

The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce will convene at 8:00 a.m. on February 5, 2013, in room E1.016 of the Capitol Extension to take up the following bills for consideration as new business:

SB 112        Lucio                   Relating to a requirement for and the contents of a declarations page required for certain standard insurance policy forms for residential property insurance.

SB 138        Zaffirini               Relating to procedures for filing complaints with, and providing notice of certain violations to, the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists.

SB 147        Deuell                  Relating to the amount of outstanding total liability of a mortgage guaranty insurer.

SB 192        Carona                  Relating to access to criminal history record information by the banking commissioner.

SB 228        Williams                Relating to the regulation of the practice of public accountancy.

SB 230        Carona                  Relating to the applicability of state law governing funds transfers to certain remittance transfers.

SB 244        Carona                  Relating to the administration, operation, supervision, and regulation of credit unions.

SJR 18        Carona                  Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the making of a reverse mortgage loan for the purchase of homestead property and to amend certain requirements in connection with a reverse mortgage loan.

At the Chair’s discretion, the Committee may also consider any pending business. Written testimony of any length is welcome, please submit to the Committee staff 15 copies with your name and the bill number on each copy of the written testimony. Please provide an electronic version of written testimony at your earliest convenience. Please limit oral remarks to three minutes. You may view hearing-related information at http://BandC.posterous.com.  Receive updates during the hearing on that site or by following the @txlegebc twitter account. Monitor the hearing by watching the live stream at http://www.senate.state.tx.us/bin/live.php.  Contact the Committee office at bc@senate.state.tx.us.

 

 

Next hearing is Tuesday February 5 at 8 AM.

The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce will hold a public hearing Tuesday, February 5, at 8 AM in Room E1.016 of the State Capitol, Austin, Texas. More information will be posted on the Internet later today.

Recess (end of hearing) 9:55 AM

Chairman Carona releases interim report

http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/commit/c510/c510.InterimReport82.pdf

Testimony of Eleanor Kitzman, Commissioner of Insurance, 9:45 AM

Quarterly Update: ERCOT 9:35 AM

Quarterly update: PUC 9:13 AM

Committee Rules Adopted 9:10 AM

Watch the hearing at http://www.senate.state.tx.us/bin/live.php

Internet broadcast of this hearing is available at http://www.senate.state.tx.us/bin/live.php

Opening Remarks 9:05 AM

Hearing called to order 9:00 AM

Revised Agenda for January 29, 2013 Hearing, with links

9:00 AM in Texas State Capitol Extension Room E1.016, overflow in Room E1.012

Agenda

1. Call to Order
2. Opening Remarks
3. Adoption of Committee Rules
4. Quarterly Updates
   1. Donna Nelson, Chair, Public Utility Commission
   2. Kent Saathoff, Vice President of Grid Operations and System Planning, Electric Reliability Council of Texas
   3. Eleanor Kitzman, Commissioner, Texas Department of Insurance
5. Closing Remarks
6. Recess (End of Hearing)

Testimony, Updates, and related material are available on the Senate website: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/commit/c510/c510.htm

Testimony submitted by the Texas Department of Insurance

Senate Business & Commerce Quarterly Update
January 29, 2013

TDI BIENNIAL REPORT

• TDI published and distributed the agency’s Biennial Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature on December 28, 2012. The report outlined:
  • 13 formal recommendations addressing several different areas within the agency including, Compliance, Financial, Regulatory Policy, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Workers’ Compensation.
  • 6 “clean up recommendations” addressing outdated or inconsistent statutory provisions,
  • 2 “leveling the playing field” recommendations, and
  • 7 legislative considerations, which are not formal recommendations but rather items the Department is currently addressing on some level and felt the 83rd Legislature may wish to review during the legislative session.
• Of the 13 formal recommendations, this testimony will highlight 4 recommendations that TDI considers particularly noteworthy. TDI will be happy to meet with members should they wish to discuss the recommendations in greater detail.

OWN RISK SOLVENCY ASSESSMENT (ORSA)
Overview:
TDI regulates both insurance carriers and the relationships between insurance carriers and their affiliates. TDI also monitors the financial condition and risk profiles of holding company systems or “groups” of affiliates. It is imperative that TDI monitor these entities because risks posed by non-insurance operations can potentially spread to insurance companies and negatively impact their financial condition. This recommendation would help address future situations similar to the one that AIG faced during the nation’s recent financial crisis.
In response to the global financial crisis and situations, such as AIG, as well as discussions held at the international level about group supervision, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”) recently adopted the Own Risk Solvency Assessment (ORSA) Model Act.
An ORSA is an internal assessment of the risks associated with an insurer’s or insurance group’s current business plan coupled with the sufficiency of its capital resources to support those risks. The new NAIC model act requires insurance companies or insurance groups to perform their own ORSA and to file an ORSA summary report with insurance regulators.

Recommendation:
TDI’s recommendation is to amend the Insurance Code by adding a new chapter based on the NAIC ORSA Model Act. By adding a requirement for certain large insurance carriers to file ORSA summary reports with the agency, the Department believes it will improve the understanding of large carriers and their holding company systems by providing a group-level perspective on risk and capital, rather than just a snapshot of individual companies. This not only allows TDI to better protect Texas policyholders; it will also enhance our ability to participate in the supervision of insurers and insurance groups domiciled in multiple jurisdictions, and as a result, improve regulatory coordination at the national and international levels.

CAPTIVES
Overview:
A “captive” generally refers to an insurance carrier that insures the risks of its owners. Most other states and foreign jurisdictions have laws that provide for the formation of captive insurance companies. There are many different types of captives. The most traditional form is called a “pure captive.” A “pure captive” is typically owned by a large corporation, such as a Fortune 500 company, and is a form of self-insurance. Although there are some differences, the regulation of a “pure captive” is similar in many ways to the regulation of a traditional insurance carrier.
Insurance commissioners in states that license captives typically have some discretion to set the captive’s minimum financial requirements based on the financial strength of the captive’s owner (parent company). Captives often benefit from lower premium tax rates.
There are Texas-based corporations that desire to form their own captives. Current Texas law, however, does not authorize the formation of a captive insurance carrier in Texas. As a result, a Texas-based corporation must form its captive in another state or offshore. This creates additional expenses and administrative burdens since other states and jurisdictions often require captives to: utilize locally based management companies or other professionals; hold a minimum number of board meetings within their jurisdictions each year; and appoint a local resident to the board, resulting in increased compensation costs.

Recommendation:
By adding new provisions to the Insurance Code to provide for the formation of Texas-based “pure captives,” TDI sees an opportunity to further enhance Texas’ pro-business climate. Allowing the formation of Texas domestic captive insurance companies could help attract new businesses and retain existing Texas companies. In addition to touting the current benefits that Texas has to offer, Texas-based Fortune 500 and other corporations could benefit from reduced costs and administrative burdens related to their captive operations. This recommendation would also result in some additional tax revenue for Texas.

ATTRACTING NEW CAPITAL TO TEXAS
Overview:
Texas consumers and businesses paid more than $106 billion in insurance premiums last year, making Texas the 12th-largest insurance market in the world. Currently, more than 400 insurance companies are based in Texas. Many are small- and medium-sized regional carriers.
In relation to the size of the state’s insurance market, Texas is home to only an average number of insurance companies. Texas is also average in terms of the number of large insurers (defined as insurers writing $500 million or more in annual premiums). By comparison, other states have a greater number of domestic insurers in relation to the size of their insurance markets and serve as the home to a disproportionately higher number of large insurance companies. TDI believes an opportunity exists to attract more insurance companies to Texas, particularly large insurers. The benefits of attracting more companies include:

• increased competition;
• support for the growth of the Texas economy; and
• enhanced ability of the state, including TDI, to influence regulatory developments at the national
• and international levels.

Suggested Considerations:
The Texas Legislature may wish to:
1. Reduce costs borne by Texas-domestic insurers by spreading the costs of TDI’s examination overhead assessments to all insurers licensed in Texas;
2. Amend regulatory approval thresholds in the Texas Holding Company Act based on the NAIC model act language to enhance uniformity and consistency from state to state;
3. Grant discretion to the commissioner of insurance, with concurrence from the comptroller of public accounts, to grant credits for premium or maintenance taxes for temporary periods of time for insurers who locate their physical operations in Texas; and
4. Update and streamline the incorporation and licensing statutes for insurance companies.

1. Reduce costs borne by Texas-domestic insurers by spreading the costs of TDI’s examination overhead assessments to all insurers licensed in Texas
• The Department is responsible for the solvency regulation of all insurance carriers licensed in Texas, that is, both Texas and non-Texas insurers. There are approximately 425 Texas and 1,440 non-Texas insurance carriers currently licensed to sell insurance in Texas. The 1,440 non-Texas insurance carriers produced 66 percent of all premiums sold in Texas in 2011.
• Current Texas law provides that only Texas-domestic insurance carriers pay an examination overhead assessment, which is required by Section 401.151 (c) of the Insurance Code. Non-Texas insurers do not pay this assessment even though TDI is required to ascertain their financial condition as well. This places a burden on Texas-domestic carriers that is not shared by non-Texas carriers.
• Current regulation of insurers for solvency focuses on the overall financial condition of entire holding company systems, or “groups” of affiliated insurance carriers. These holding company systems typically include both Texas and non-Texas carriers. TDI expends considerable examination resources doing “coordinated examinations” of groups of affiliates, both Texas carriers and non-Texas carriers, in conjunction with regulators from other states.
• Modifying Section 401.151 (c) of the Insurance Code so that these examination assessments are allocated amongst all carriers licensed to sell insurance in Texas would reduce fiscal burdens on Texas-domestic insurers and thereby make being a Texas insurer a more attractive option. This modification would also increase regulatory efficiency.

• The proposal would not have any effect on how the direct costs of conducting an examination (examiner’s salary, travel expenses, etc.) are currently being paid. This proposal is expressly limited to the examination overhead assessment, which covers costs that are not directly associated with conducting an examination.
• The proposal could have a slight impact on retaliatory taxes. In the past, the examination overhead assessment has been approximately $10 million. Non-Texas insurers would incur approximately $6.6 million in additional Texas assessments based on the premium written (66 percent of $10 million). This additional assessment would be spread over each of the 1440 non-Texas based insurers (proportionate to the premium written in Texas) and therefore would be a very small impact. As a result, the retaliatory tax impact, if any, would be de-minimis.

2. Amend regulatory approval thresholds in the Texas Holding Company Act based on the NAIC model act language to enhance uniformity and consistency from state to state
• Current Texas law requires that certain transactions between insurers and their affiliates be filed with TDI in advance. These filings are made to ensure that the insurance policyholders are not disadvantaged by potential situations where insurance carriers may enter into transactions that are not fair.
• These filings are regulated by Chapter 823 of the Texas Insurance Code and provide certain monetary thresholds before transactions must be filed with the Department. The Texas Holding Company Act is based on model legislation recommended by the NAIC; however, the thresholds contained in Texas statute differ from the NAIC model law.
• This is problematic for insurance companies, particularly those insurance companies that do business in multiple states. Amending the Texas law to match the thresholds in the NAIC model act will not reduce TDI’s authority to regulate affiliated transactions. Rather, it would create a more uniform regulatory environment between states.
• Amending Chapter 823 to match the NAIC model would create more uniformity for carriers in Texas, thus making it a more attractive state to do business in.

3. Grant discretion to the commissioner of insurance, with concurrence from the comptroller of public accounts, to grant credits for premium or maintenance taxes for temporary periods of time for insurers who locate their physical operations in Texas
• Insurers writing business in Texas are required to pay premium taxes. The premium tax rate for property and casualty insurers is 1.6 percent of premium while the maximum premium tax rate for life insurers is 1.75 percent of premium. In summary, insurers pay between $16 and $17.50 per $1,000 of premium written in premium taxes.
• Creating a tax incentive program is a common tool used to encourage a specific industry to increase its business presence. Programs of this nature have been utilized by cities, counties, and states.
• Currently, there is not a tax incentive program in Texas targeted at the insurance industry.
• This program would be limited to insurers that located new physical operations or expanded existing physical operations in Texas.
• Other states, including Iowa and Nebraska, have established tax incentive programs targeted at the insurance industry with positive results.

• Controls for the program would include:
  • An overall cap on the credits allowed in the program.
  • In order to be considered for the program, insurers would have to demonstrate to the commissioner and the comptroller that taxes, fees, and other sources of revenue to the state associated with the expanded physical operations in Texas would offset or exceed and premium tax credits allowed under the program.
  • The program would be revenue neutral or positive.
  • The incentive would be temporary.

• The purpose of the program would be to incentivize insurers to establish or expand physical operations in Texas and overall make Texas a more attractive place to locate operations.

4. Update and streamline the incorporation and licensing statutes for insurance companies
Incorporation and Licensing
• Chapters 822, 841, and 861 of the Insurance Code require a two-step process where a company is first incorporated and then licensed to do insurance business. This two-step process is unnecessary because statute prohibits an insurer from operations that are not considered insurance. Thus, TDI can only incorporate an entity that it also licenses.
• Modifying this process into a single step where TDI can incorporate and license simultaneously would be more efficient for TDI and simpler for applicants.

Lines of Business- Cleanup
• The lines of business that TDI can license an insurer to write are not representative of the terms used in the industry today or the lines of business that are reported in a company’s annual statement, which is filed with TDI. For example, a Texas insurer that wants to write a homeowners policy must be licensed to produce the following: fire, allied lines, liability other than automobile, burglary, and theft. Many of these lines of business are no longer commonly used in the marketplace and thus, cause confusion for both insurers and other states. This situation often results in calls to TDI from other states that are trying to determine what products a Texas insurer is licensed to write. (Another state can only license a Texas insurer to write business that it is licensed to write in Texas.) Therefore, some confusion is created by not using terms that are common among the industry and regulators, and it can act as a deterrent to be a Texas-domiciled company.
• Utilizing the lines of business included in a company’s annual statement, rather than existing statutes, would create a more transparent licensing function for companies and other states eliminating questions and confusion that currently exists.

REFUND OF PREMIUM
Overview:
Currently the Insurance Code requires carriers to “promptly refund” premium owed to policyholders upon the cancellation of a policy. This money is commonly known as “unearned premium.” While the Insurance Code requires insurers to “promptly refund” the unearned premium, the section neither defines “promptly refund” nor specifies the time limits for insurers to refund unearned premium to consumers. As a result, TDI receives hundreds of complaints annually from consumers regarding the length of time it takes insurers to refund their unearned premium following a policy cancellation.

• Complaints received relating to refund of premium
  • 2010: 438 complaints
  • 2011: 461 complaints
  • 2012: 445 complaints

Recommendation:
Therefore, TDI suggests amending the Insurance Code to require insurers to return unearned premium to consumers on homeowners and personal automobile insurance policies within 15 business days from the effective date of cancellation. This statutory change will provide a clear guideline for both consumers and insurers to follow.

Agenda for January 29, 2013 Hearing

9:00 AM in Texas State Capitol Extension Room E1.016, overflow in Room E1.012

1. Call to Order
2. Opening Remarks
3. Adoption of Committee Rules
4. Quarterly Updates
   1. Eleanor Kitzman, Commissioner, Texas Department of Insurance
   2. Donna Nelson, Chair, Public Utility Commission
   3. Kent Saathoff, Vice President of Grid Operations and System Planning, Electric Reliability Council of Texas
5. Closing Remarks
6. Recess (End of Hearing)

Updated January 26, 2013

Organizational meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 29

Per the formal posting, the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce will hold its organizational meeting at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, January 29th, 2013, in Room E1.016 of the State Capitol extension, Austin.  The Committee will consider and adopt Committee Rules, introduce members and their staffs, discuss the Committee schedule, provide information related to committee process for the session, and conduct any other organizational business deemed necessary by the Chair.  Additionally, the Committee will hear updates from the following agencies: the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), the Public Utility Commission (PUC), and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).  At this meeting, the Committee will hear invited testimony only.  You can monitor the hearing by watching the live stream at http://www.senate.state.tx.us/bin/live.php and reading the testimony at http://bandc.posterous.com/. You can receive updates during the hearing on this site or by following the @txlegebc twitter account.

The regular schedule for committee hearings has not yet been released. When it is released, we will post a note on this site. We will also post agency quarterly updates and testimony for this hearing on this site. After the hearing, the updates and testimony will be moved to the official Texas Senate website at http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/commit/c510/c510.htm. You can contact the Committee office by email at bc@senate.state.tx.us or by telephone at 512-463-0365 or fax at 512-463-1613.

Committee Staff (updated)

• Committee Director: Steven Polunsky
• Deputy Committee Director: Angie Cervantes
• Committee Clerk: Troupe Brewer
• Assistant Committee Clerk: Kristin Smart
• Policy Analyst: Kelsey Erickson
• Policy Analyst: Lauren Emery
• Policy Analyst: Natalia Rivera Mack
• Intern: Justin Sykes
• Intern: Elizabeth Biesel
• Intern: Danna Callahan

Committee Staff for the 83rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session

Staff Roster for the Senate Business and Commerce Committee, 83rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session, Senator John Carona, Chair:

• Committee Director: Steven Polunsky
• Deputy Committee Director: Angie Cervantes
• Committee Clerk: Troupe Brewer
• Policy Analyst: Lauren Emery
• Policy Analyst: Kelsey Erickson
• Policy Analyst: Natalia Rivera Mack
• Intern: Kristin Smart
• Intern: Justin Sykes

75,000 site views

Our site has passed 75,000 site views, according to the counter at the bottom right of this page. On behalf of Chairman John Carona, we hope you find the information on this site helpful. Please contact us at bc@senate.state.tx.us with any comments or suggestions. 

Windstorm article links now on our Pinterest board

Links to recent articles regarding the Windstorm Insurance Legislative Oversight Board are now on our Pinterest site, http://pinterest.com/txlegebc/texas-senate-committee-on-business-commerce/

Windstorm Insurance hearing video and testimony now online

Video and testimony from the November 1, 2012 hearing of the Windstorm Insurance Legislative Oversight Board is now available online.

1. Video (RealPlayer format)
2. Testimony

2:40 Recess (End of Hearing)

The Windstorm Insurance Legislative Oversight Board stands in recess subject to call. The hearing has concluded.