The Raleigh News & Observer reports today that Senate Majority leader Tony Rand (D- Allegedly) has authored a bill that is anti-consumer and a gift to the insurance lobby:
A bill introduced in the state Senate calls for stripping the North Carolina insurance commissioner's authority to set rates on auto, homeowners and workers' compensation insurance.Under the measure, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand at the urging of the insurance industry, a Superior Court judge would rule on rate disputes after conducting a hearing. Currently, the insurance commissioner presides over such hearings and determines the maximum rates that insurers can charge.
NC has a relatively strong Insurance Commissioner. To the industry, that's a bad thing. The solution, of course, is to strip him of his ability to regulate rates. And on top of that, the burden of proof would be reversed, so that insurance companies would almost automatically be granted whatever rate hikes they sought. This is a play right out of the GOP playbook. Why would an alleged Democrat even consider this, let alone author it?
And then just how dumb does Rand think his constituents are? Pretty dumb.
If the bill becomes law, Rand said he would be willing to let the rates fall or rise where they may. "If it does mean higher rates [approved by] an impartial judge, that means higher rates are indicated," he said. "It might mean lower rates."
Riiiight. The insurance lobby is pushing for a bill that might lower rates.
Have any bridges for sale, Tony?
Comments
The bill
is a horrible idea. But a DINO Tony Rand is not.
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition
"Keep the Faith"
Hyperbole
Yeah, I know. I couldn't come up with any other insult that more accurately expressed my outrage at this bill.
This might be the guy.
I was talking with a lawmaker back on Election night, who told me that the problem with having a progressive agenda was that there was this one guy with four or five other House members in his pocket. And, everytime the dems came out with something progressive he would threaten to walk to the Republicans. At the end of the night, my comment to this person was "Let 'em walk." because the house enjoys enough of a cushion now.
I wonder if it was Rand he was talking about...
One man with courage makes a majority.
- Andrew Jackson
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
I would be willing
to put money on it not being him.
Sen Rand, as majority leader, has helped raise hundreds of thousands for Democratic candidates.
Jerry Meek tells the story of how one day he walked into Sen Rand's office and started talking to him about a bill or an issue. Sen Rand looked at him and said something along the lines of, "what do you want the bill to say? It will be on the floor toomorow". (obviously Jerry tells the story better and correctly) The simple fact is that Sen Rand is one of the main reasons we still have a majority in the State Senate.
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition
"Keep the Faith"
That is as may be -
But what's up with this bill?
When even other Senators are saying, 'What?' It gives one pause...
Ditto, Blue South
Tony Rand is a great Dem.
Lovex7
Here's a really bad part of existing NC insurance law
Did you know that NC insurance law requires that every person living at a single address be insured for every car with registration at that home? So your roommate is supposed to be insured for your car, even if he/she never drives it. But here's the worst part (I know because it happened to me): if you have someone on your insurance (like a spouse or a kid), you cannot take them off your policy unless you can prove that they live somewhere else (i.e. that they have a driver's license with a different address) or that they no longer have a driver's license or that they have proof of insurance with another insurer.
So let's say you and your husband are on the same auto insurance policy. But you break-up because he's abusive. He moves in with a buddy, but he refuses to change his driver's license address or get his own car insurance. You are obligated to continue to pay the insurance for both of you or risk having your insurance cancelled.
Or let's say you put your kid on your auto insurance and later the kid gets arrested and spends 6 months in jail. Not grounds to get him off of your insurance, as long as he has a valid driver's license with your address. And by the way, if you put your kid on your car insurance, you have to insure him/her for all the cars in the household, even if the kid will never drive your car.
I don't understand why we don't have no fault insurance in NC. I know rates would go up, but then we could stop this farce of insurance regulations and people might actually get their cars repaired instead of using the money for other things and driving beat up junkers around (no fault requires that money awarded for damages be paid not to the car owner but to the repairer).
Perhaps not a DINO, but Rand is one of my least favorite Dems
Rand was a happy cog in Jim Black's machine. He managed to get away from prosicution, but it doesn't mean he's completely above the board.
The biggest mark against him in my book is when he single-handedly blocked a provision that would have increased the number of judges that the state provides to Durham County, after a series of studies and articles made it clear that a horrific backlog in the system was making it harder for DA's to prosecute cases, overflowing the jail, and turning people awaiting trial out on the streets, where they were frequently offending again. The studies also showed that Durham had significantly fewer judges per capita than the state average.
The block came shortly after the provision's sponsor, Mickey Micheaux (D-Durham) had objected to Rand's plan to turn UNC and NCSU loose from the UNC Board of Governors. Rand's move was widely seen as a political bitch-slap.
I recognize that the NC Democratic party has to be a big tent, but it doesn't mean I have to like Tony Rand. If he got primaried, I wouldn't shed a tear.
Primary
I earlier today asked the Cumberland Co. chair to remind Rand that he's not immune to a challenge.
"Good Democrats" don't author bills that cater to the insurance lobby at the expense of the "little people."
Excuse me.
He has been challenged. He had a primary last year.
Lovex7
Farg...
That post was supposed to be at root level...
It is....for some reason when posts first go up
the color block makes them look indented.
Farg...good one. :)
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Write him al letter - see what he says
and let us know. Mebbe he need a little heat.
SE NC Dems
Stan Bozarth
SB 901 - bad for consumers and unnecessary
SB 901 is bad for consumers and is unnecessary. I am very pleased to see that BlueNC has begun a discussion about this matter.
I also highly recommend that you read today's (Apr. 1, 2007) lead editorial in the Raleigh News & Observer. Here is the link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/579/story/559528.html
Insurance Commissioner Jim Long has done and continues to do an extraordinary job in setting the ceiling on insurance rates and in ensuring that the process and the results are fair and justified. There is no reason to strip his office of the authority it presently has.
Moreover, SB 901, if it had already been law, would have caused the immediate increase of 125% for homeowners on the Carolina coast, and dramatic increases most everywhere else in the State.
If SB 901 passes, it could also flip several close Democratic seats into Republican hands hands.
If you share Insurance Commissioner Long's opposition to SB 901, time is of the essence: Your legislators need to hear from you.
Wayne Goodwin
Assistant Commissioner of Insurance
Former State Representative, NC General Assembly
Thanks so much
for sharing your perspective on this. I think generally Democrats should be about protecting consumers, not the insurance industry. I will be contacting my representatives about this bill. Thank you again.
Can you elaborate on this?
.
One man with courage makes a majority.
- Andrew Jackson
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me