The House Insurance Chairman and Coast state representative talks HB 451, more.
During the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers debated how to utilize funds generated through surplus lines, or non-admitted carrier fees, for other purposes than to shore up the wind pool.
One proposal in the Senate was to divert wind pool moneys to buoy the dwindling state employee insurance fund. That worried ratepayers in the state wind pool, mainly on the Coast, as those funds may not have been available for their intended use.
READ MORE: Mississippi Senate seeks to divert wind pool moneys to buoy dwindling state employee insurance fund
State Rep. Hank Zuber, chairman of the House Insurance Committee, visited with Y’all Politics on Friday to give an update on how the debate ended and what will be done with those funds by way of HB 451.
Zuber said those in the wind pool should be pleased with the compromise as should officials looking to fund rural fire trucks and first responders who also will see a benefit from the agreement.
In the next few months, the Ocean Springs state representative plans to redouble his efforts to strengthen campaign finance laws and change how the Legislature operates. He would like to see lawmakers handle the state budget appropriations each year but limit general bills to every other year, allowing proposed legislation time to ripen and be fully vetted in a more robust manner.
Watch the full interview with State Rep. Zuber below.
Frank Corder
