After almost 25 minutes of spirited debate, the Senate did not vote on a bill that would make the position of insurance commissioner an appointed position instead of an elected position. That’s something that 39 other states currently do. It was written by New Orleans Democrat Royce Duplessis, who wants to take politics out of the role.
“We would not want to elect our Secretary of Health or Secretary of Environmental Quality. We want these experts to be able to come in and do the job that they are supposed to do on behalf of the people,” Duplessis said.
The notion of removing citizens’ ability to choose their insurance commissioner did not sit well with Bossier City Republican Adam Bass, and he confronted Duplessis about it.
Bass: “What other voting rights do you want to take away from the citizens?”
Duplessis: “Not interested in doing that.”
Bass: “Well, this is what that bill is doing.”
Duplessis: “I am generally in favor of giving people the right to vote. However, when something isn’t working, I think it’s worth having a serious discussion on it and find another solution.”
River Ridge Republican Kirk Talbot spoke out against the bill, which he acknowledged was ironic because he wrote a very similar bill in 2019 when he was in the House. Talbot says making insurance commissioner an appointed position would do nothing to lower insurance premiums.
“We had more bodily injury accidents in the state of Louisiana with four and a half million people than the state of New York with 19 million people. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a problem and that’s what needs to be addressed. Not this,” Talbot said.
When Duplessis closed on his bill, he acknowledged that the votes to pass it likely were not there, so he returned it to the calendar.
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