Government Digest 11/27/09

Commissioner oversight
TALLAHASSEE — The state's insurance morass and discontentment with Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty is generating legislation requiring the governor, cabinet and Senate to reconfirm the appointment of the state insurance commissioner every two years. Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, chairman of the Policy and Steering Committee on Commerce and Industry, is sponsoring the bill, SB 740. McCarty has been under fire for his role in Gov. Charlie Crist's veto of the Consumer Choice Act, which would have allowed highly capitalized property and casualty insurance companies meeting other requirements to charge market-based rates. A revised version of the Consumer Choice Act is expected to be filed in December.