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Colorado Commissioner of Insurance
| Colorado Commissioner of Insurance | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Nonpartisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $175,960 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $16,138,450 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | Serves at the pleasure of the governor |
| Authority: | Article IV, Section 23 |
| Selection Method: | Appointed by the governor |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Colorado Commissioner of Insurance
Michael Conway | |
| Other Colorado Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Controller • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Exec. Director • Labor Executive Director • Public Utilities Commission • Colorado State Board of Regents | |
The Colorado Commissioner of Insurance is a state executive position in the Colorado state government. The commissioner heads the Colorado Division of Insurance, a part of the state's Department of Regulatory Agencies. The division regulates the state's insurance industries, deals with customer complaints against insurers and provides other customer services.[1]
Current officeholder
The current Colorado Commissioner of Insurance is Michael Conway (nonpartisan). Conway assumed office in 2018.
Authority
Article IV, Section 23 of the Colorado Constitution establishes the commissioner as head of the Division of Insurance.
Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 23
|
The governor shall nominate and, by and with the consent of the senate, appoint the commissioner of insurance to serve at his pleasure, and the state personnel system shall not extend to the commissioner of insurance. |
Qualifications
State law requires that the commissioner be a person experienced in insurance, an elector in the state of Colorado (i.e. a resident of the state, at least 18 years old), and that he have no financial interest in any insurance company.
Colorado Revised Statutes, Section 10-1-104
|
The commissioner shall be a person well versed in insurance, and an elector of the state of Colorado, and shall have no pecuniary interest in any insurance company or agency directly or indirectly other than as a policyholder. |
Appointments
The commissioner is appointed by the governor and must be confirmed by a majority vote of the state Senate. The commissioner serves at the governor's pleasure and does not have a fixed term.
Colorado Revised Statutes, Section 10-1-104
|
The commissioner shall be a person well versed in insurance, and an elector of the state of Colorado, and shall have no pecuniary interest in any insurance company or agency directly or indirectly other than as a policyholder. |
Term limits
This office does not have term limits.
Vacancies
There is no particular procedure for dealing with vacancies in the office of commissioner.
Duties
The Division of Insurance, which the commissioner oversees, is charged with regulating the state's insurance industries and resolving consumer complaints against insurance companies.[2]
Divisions
As of January 12, 2021, divisions within the Division of Insurance included:[3]
- Affordability Programs
- Property Casualty & Administration
- Life & Health Policy
- Finance
- Policy
State budget
- See also: Colorado state budget and finances
The budget for the Colorado Division of Insurance in the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year was $16,138,450.[4]
Compensation
The commissioner's compensation is fixed by law.
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $175,960, according to the Council of State Governments.[5]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $164,448, according to the Council of State Governments.[6]
2021
In 2021, the commissioner received a salary of $159,660, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]
2020
In 2020, the insurance commissioner received a salary of $159,660 according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2019
In 2019, the insurance commissioner received a salary of $159,996 according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2018
In 2018, the insurance commissioner received a salary of $125,004 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2017
In 2017, the insurance commissioner received a salary of $135,564 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2016
In 2016, the insurance commissioner received a salary of $135,564 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2015
In 2015, the insurance commissioner received a salary of $120,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2014
In 2014, the commissioner received a salary of $120,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2013
In 2013, the commissioner received a salary of $120,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2011
In 2011, the commissioner received a salary of $120,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
Historical officeholders
There have been 42 Colorado Commissioners of Insurance since 1883. Before 1906, commissioners were known as Superintendents of Insurance and worked in the Office of the State Auditor. Since 1984, commissioners have been appointed by the governor.
| List of officeholders from 1883-present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | |||
| 1. | Michael Conway | 2018-Present | |||
| 2. | Marguerite Salazar | 2013-2017 | |||
| 3. | Doug Dean Interim | July 2013 – Aug. 2013 | |||
| 4. | Jim Riesberg | 2011-2013 | |||
| 5. | John J. Postolowski (Interim) | 2010-2011 | |||
| 6. | Marcy Morrison | 2007-2010 | |||
| 7. | David Rivera | 2005-2007 | |||
| 8. | Doug Dean | 2003-2005 | |||
| 9. | M. Michael Cook (Acting) | 2002-2003 | |||
| 10. | William M. Kirvin, III | 1999-2002 | |||
| 11. | Jack Ehnes | 1994-1999 | |||
| 12. | Joanne Hill | 1990-1994 | |||
| 13. | Bruce Smith | 1989-1990 | |||
| 14. | John Kezer | 1984-1989 | |||
| 15. | Daniel J. Colaiannia (Acting) | 1984 | |||
| 16. | Richard D. Lamm | 1975-1987 | |||
| 17. | J. Richard Barnes | 1964-1984 | |||
| 18. | Richard D. Lamm | 1975-1987 | |||
| 19. | Sam N. Beery | 1954-1961? | |||
| 20. | Luke J. Kavanaugh | 1939-1954 | |||
| 21. | Jackson Cochrane | 1921-1938 | |||
| 22. | Earl Wilson | 1920-1921 | |||
| 23. | Claude W. Fairchild | 1916-1919 | |||
| 24. | E.R. Harper | 1915-1916 | |||
| 25. | D.M. Rolph | 1914-1915 | |||
| 26. | George A. Carlson | 1915-1917 | |||
| 27. | Saul Epsteen | 1912-1913 | |||
| 28. | William L. Clayton | 1908-1911 | |||
| 29. | E.E. Rittenhouse | 1907-1908 | |||
| 30. | George D. Statler | 1906-1907 | |||
| 31. | Alfred E. Bent | 1904-1905 | |||
| 32. | John A. Holmberg | 1902-1903 | |||
| 33. | C.W. Crouter | 1900-1901 | |||
| 34. | George W. Temple | 1898-1899 | |||
| 35. | John W. Lowell | 1896-1897 | |||
| 36. | C.C. Parks | 1894-1895 | |||
| 37. | F.M. Goodykoontz | 1892-1893 | |||
| 38. | John M. Henderson | 1890-1891 | |||
| 39. | Louis B. Schwanbeck | 1888-1889 | |||
| 40. | Darwin P. Kingsley | 1886-1888 | |||
| 41. | Hiram A. Sprumance | 1885-1886 | |||
| 42. | John C. Abbott | 1882-1884 | |||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Colorado Insurance Commissioner. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact info
Address:
1560 Broadway, Suite 850
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: (303) 894-7499
See also
| Colorado | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, "DORA Divisions, Programs, & Boards," accessed January 12, 2021
- ↑ Colorado Division of Insurance, "Home," accessed January 12, 2021
- ↑ Colorado Division of Insurance, "Org Chart," accessed January 12, 2021
- ↑ Colorado General Assembly, "Appropriations Report Fiscal Year 2024-25," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 12, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 12, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 12, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 12, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2013, Table 4.11," accessed February 2, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2010 -- Table 4.11," accessed July 21, 2011
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