Best’s News & Research Service - September 26, 2024 12:16 PM (EDT)
Mississippi Commissioner: ‘Take the Politics Out’ of Commissioner Role by Making Position Appointed
JACKSON, Miss. //BestWire// - Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney is calling on state lawmakers to transition his position from an elected role to one that is appointed.
Mike ChaneyHis motivation in calling for the change is to “take the politics out of the job,” Chaney told BestWire. As it stands, the insurance commissioner is an elected position in 12 states and U.S. territories, while 44 states and territories appoint the role.
He said too often the insurance commissioner job is used as a steppingstone to further one’s political careers, pointing to commissioners in Montana who have run for Congressional seats and past California commissioners running for attorney general.
“I believe very strongly that you need stability and predictability within the industry. We should be doing our job as a regulator and not trying to move up a ladder to another elected position,” Chaney said.
Another challenge of having the position be elected centers around accepting campaign contributions, he said, explaining: “It is very hard to raise funds from the very people you’re trying to regulate.”
In Mississippi, the insurance commissioner position is a “statutory creature of the legislature,” he said, continuing: “In other words, it was created in 1901 by the state legislature. It is not a constitutional job, so it’s up to the legislature to make it appointed.”
There is precedent in Mississippi to making these types of changes, Chaney said. While he was a member of the state legislature, the roles of county-level superintendents of education were all transitioned to appointed positions.
“The reason for that is you got more qualified people, one,” he said. “And No. 2, the school boards are elected on the local level and they make the appointment.”
He added making the insurance commissioner an appointed role would similarly result in a stronger pool of potential candidates.
The appointed position, Chaney proposes, should serve a six-year term. The appointment would be made by the governor and approved by the Senate.
“They (state senators) give us a check and balance on the governor making an appointment based on campaign contributions,” he said. “And, unfortunately, that’s a reality in some states. That’s politics inside of politics, ‘the spoils go to the winner,’ and I don’t think that’s proper either. The appointment should be made on ability to be a decent regulator.”
Chaney said some members of the Mississippi House might oppose shifting the position to an appointed one, particularly among legislators who remember when education superintendents were elected.
“A lot of the people that were for electing folks just feel like they want to vote and not have somebody appointed,” he said. “That’s only in the House. The Senate doesn’t think like that; they’ve got a whole different mindset.”
Attempts to gain comment from Mississippi Congressional leaders on the Senate and House insurance committees were unsuccessful.
In other Mississippi regulatory news, the insurance department filed a proposal in September to create a home hardening program in the state (BestWire, Sept. 17, 2024). The program would offer grants up to $10,000 so homeowners can update roofing to meet or exceed standards set by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.
(By Steve Hallo, senior associate editor, BestWire: Steve.Hallo@ambest.com)