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LaPolitics: What is your overall take on the regular session?
Commissioner of Insurance Tim Temple: Thanks to strong leadership from Gov. Jeff Landry and legislators, we were able to pass my package of property insurance reform legislation. Legislators also passed a few legal reform bills that will be a step in addressing our worst-in-the-nation auto insurance rates, and I’m hopeful Gov. Landry will sign that entire package.
Of the insurance-related bills that passed, which do you consider the most significant and why?
Our Fair Claims Process bill by Senate Insurance Chair Kirk Talbot was designed to provide a better claims experience for policyholders, and I think it will be successful in doing so. The bill will also help reduce excessive litigation, which is one of the main reasons homeowners insurers have been hesitant to do business here.
Of the insurance-related bills that failed, which do you consider most significant and why?
The Housley presumption bill is an important piece of the auto insurance reform package, and its failure to pass out of the Senate Judiciary A Committee will be noted by insurers who are wondering whether Louisiana is serious about addressing our legal environment.
As the session began, Gov. Landry endorsed your agenda in general terms, but he mostly avoided specifics. Did his team convey its support or concerns regarding specific bills during the process?
Gov. Landry and I, as well as our policy staffs, have an open line of communication and work well together. We couldn’t have passed our property insurance reform package as quickly as we did without his full support.
Is Gov. Landry holding back efforts to address auto insurance rates?
The Legislature passed some of our auto insurance reform legislation and sent it to Gov. Landry’s desk. By signing all those bills, he can help create a more competitive market for Louisiana drivers.
What are your next priorities, now that the session is over?
My job is to take what we’ve done since January, whether it’s regulatory changes or significant legislation we passed during session, and use that information to demonstrate to the industry that Louisiana is taking our problems seriously and working to address them. Additionally, I am focused on educating consumers about hurricane season preparedness and meeting with insurers to make sure they understand my expectations about being properly positioned to respond to hurricane claims if necessary.
—THEY SAID IT: “I never want our success to be to the detriment of any competitor.” –Judi Terzotis, president and publisher of The Advocate, which has hired several staffers away from The Daily Advertiser, which reportedly has no more full-time reporters, in The Current
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
