North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance

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North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance

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General information
Office Type:  Partisan
Office website:  Official Link
2011-2013 FY Budget:  $18,401,730
Term limits:  None
Structure
Length of term:   4 years
Authority:  North Dakota Constitution, Article V, Section 2
Selection Method:  Elected
Current Officeholder

Adam Hamm.jpg
Name:  Adam Hamm
Officeholder Party:  Republican
Assumed office:  October 2007
Compensation:  $87,727
Elections
Next election:  November 8, 2016
Last election:  November 6, 2012
Other North Dakota Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission • Tax Commissioner

Contents

The North Dakota Insurance Commissioner is an elected state executive position in the North Dakota state government. The commissioner is the head of the state Insurance Department, which was established in 1889.[1]

Current officeholder

The current officeholder is Adam Hamm. Originally appointed to the position in October 2007, Hamm was elected to a full four-year term in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. His current term expires in 2016.

Authority

The Insurance Commissioner's authority and duties and are established by Article V of the North Dakota Constitution.

Article V, Section 2:

The qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislative assembly shall choose a governor, lieutenant governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general, auditor, insurance commissioner, three public service commissioners, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, tax commissioner, and treasurer...

Qualifications

Article V, Section 4 of the North Dakota Constitution establishes the qualifications of office as such:

To be eligible to hold an elective office established by this article, a person must be a qualified elector of this state, must be at least twenty-five years of age on the day of the election, and must have been a resident of this state for the five years preceding election to office.

  • a qualified elector of the South Dakota
  • at least 25 years old
  • a resident of South Dakota for at least 5 years

Elections

North Dakota elects insurance commissioners to four-year terms during gubernatorial election years. For North Dakota, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 are all insurance commissioner election years.

2012

See also: North Dakota down ballot state executive elections, 2012

Incumbent Adam Hamm (R) won re-election in 2012. He defeated Tom Potter (D) in the November 6, 2012 general election.

North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark.jpgAdam Hamm Incumbent 63.3% 192,031
     Democratic Tom Potter 36.7% 111,099
Total Votes 303,130
Election Results via North Dakota Secretary of State.


Vacancies

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article V, Section 8.

If a vacancy occurs in the position of insurance commissioner, the governor has the power to fill the vacancy until a successor is elected.

Duties

The Insurance Commissioner is the head of the North Dakota Insurance Department, responsible for regulating the insurance industry within the state. The department enforces relevant laws and regulations, and working to ensure a competitive marketplaces and to protect consumers from fraud. Chapter 26.1 of the North Dakota Century Code outlines the specific duties of the office:

  • enforce insurance-related state laws and report any infractions to the office of the attorney general
  • register all insurance companies and agents operating within the state
  • communicate with insurance commissioners from other states when appropriate
  • manage, control, and supervise the state bonding fund
  • manage, control, and supervise the state fire and tornado fund and the insurance of public buildings in that fund
  • submit a biennial report to the governor and secretary of state[2]

Divisions

The Insurance Commissioner's Office consists of seven divisions:[3]

Administration Division

The Administration Division is "responsible for oversight of the accounting, budget, information-technology needs and general office support for the department. This division also oversees the department's day-to-day business operations, human resources and personnel management."[4]




Agent Licensing Division

The Agent Licensing Division is "assigned all duties necessary to carry out the issuing, renewal and ongoing processing of agent licensing, including license applications, renewals, agent appointments, continuing-education filing reports and course approval for continuing education courses."[5]




Consumer Assistance Division

The Consumer Assistance Division is made up of Prescription Connection, which helps qualified people receive discount drugs, and the State Health Insurance Counseling Program, which assists senior citizens.[6]




Examinations and Company Licensing Division

The Examinations and Company Licensing Division "monitors the financial strength of insurance companies to help assure they have enough money to pay policyholder claims. It performs periodic financial audits of North Dakota based companies to assure they are financially sound and complying with state laws dealing with insurance company financial matters. This division oversees the licensing of approximately 1,400 insurance companies doing business in the state."[7]




Legal, Fraud, Investigations and Enforcement Division

The Legal, Fraud, Investigations and Enforcement Division "works with the investigators in the Department to enforce the laws applicable to insurance agents and insurance companies doing business in the state. If the results of the investigation warrant it, the Legal and Enforcement Division is responsible for bringing administrative actions against insurance companies and agents and for handling the appeal of any action."[8]




Product Filing Division

The Product Filing Division "reviews policy forms to ensure that policy language complies with all the laws of this state, properly reflects the benefits provided by the policy and is not deceptive or misleading."[9]




Special Funds Division

The Special Funds Division operates the following funds on behalf of the Insurance Department: State Fire and Tornado Fund, State Bonding Fund, Petroleum Tank Lease Compensation Fund, and the Boiler and Anhydrous Ammonia Facility Inspection Program. [10]




Historical officeholders

Since 1889, North Dakota has had 21 insurance commissioners. Of the 21, 17 were Republican, 3 were Democratic-NPL, and 1 was Independent.

Click "show" for former officeholders.

State budget

The budget for the Office of the Insurance Commissioner in Fiscal Year 2011-2013 was $18,401,730.[11]

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

In 2012, the North Dakota Commissioner of Insurnace was paid an estimated $87,727. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.

Contact information

North Dakota

North Dakota Insurance Department
State Capitol, fifth floor
600 E. Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, ND 58505-0320

  • Email: insurance@nd.gov
  • Toll free: 1-800-247-0560
  • Fax: 701-328-4880
  • TTY line (hearing disabled): 1-800-366-6888
  • SHIC and Prescription Connection toll free: 1-888-575-6611

See also

External links

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References

  1. ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "About Us," retrieved April 23, 2011
  2. ↑ North Dakota Century Code, "Chapter 26.1-01: Insurance commissioner," Accessed July 13, 2011
  3. ↑ ‘'North Dakota Insurance Department, “Divisions and programs,” retrieved April 23, 2011
  4. ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "Administration Division," accessed April 23, 2011
  5. ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "Licensing Division," accessed April 23, 2011
  6. ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "Consumer Assistance Division," accessed April 23, 2011
  7. ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "Examinations and Company Licensing Division," accessed April 23, 2011
  8. ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "Legal, Fraud, Investigations and Enforcement Division," accessed April 24, 2011
  9. ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "Product Filing Division," accessed April 24, 2011
  10. ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "Special Funds Division," accessed April 24, 2011
  11. ↑ State of North Dakota, "Legislative Appropriations 2011-2013 Biennium," accessed April 15, 2013
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