| HB1458 | Paraphrase: | creates the Funeral Services Licensing Act. The bill allows the insurance commissioner to deny issuance of a funeral services license to organizations that present misrepresentations on applications and to organizations that fraudulently obtain licenses for others. The bill allows the commissioner to approve or deny an application if an organization does not meet all qualifications. The bill directs organizations to display licenses at all times on the organizations' premises and prohibits the display or use of a license by persons not authorized to represent an organization in contracting prepaid funeral benefits. The bill allows the commissioner to issue renewal permits to organizations prior to the one-year period expiration of the license if good cause is shown. The bill prohibits the transfer of permits and requires selling organization to notify the commissioner 45 days prior to transfer using a form provided by the commissioner. The bill allows the commissioner to waive notice requirement. The bill requires the acquiring organization to make permit application at least 30 days prior to transfer and must be issued a permit before the selling organization relinquishes control of the organization's trust. The bill prohibits acquiring organizations from accessing trust funds until authorized by the commissioner and can be denied transfer of the trust. The bill allows the commissioner to assume the role of acting trust conservator. The bill also requires the net value of a contract to be determined by adding the amount of all principal paid plus all payable interest less taxes and administrative fees and prohibits withdrawals or transfers less than the original principal collected prior to death except accounts with reduced principals caused by cash withdrawals. The bill requires selling organizations to forward to the acquiring organization the net value of a contract plus monies from the first funds collected if a request is made in writing. The bill directs to furnish a cash bond, letter of credit or fidelity bond approved by the commissioner in the greater amount of $25,000.00 or 15 percent of all funds collected. The bill requires prepaid funeral contracts negotiated after Nov. 1, 2009, to contain a price list of actual service costs at the time of delivery. The bill requires organizations to submit to the commissioner the name of an agent responsible for funds deposits at least 10 days prior to becoming subject to the act and to notify the commissioner of any agent changes at least 10 days prior to the change. The bill requires persons collecting money for an organization to deposit the funds within 10 days of receipt and makes violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100.00 nor more than $500.00 and/or by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than one month nor more than six months. The bill requires the commissioner to prescribe rules for steps required to convert prepaid funeral benefit contracts funded by a trust to prepaid funeral benefits funded by insurance. In the Senate, the bill was amended to require that each organization subject to the provisions furnish a bond in the form of a cash bond, letter of credit or fidelity bond to be approved by the insurance commissioner. It states the bonds must be of $25,000 for insurance only or $25,000, or 15 percent of all trust funds collected, for prepaid funeral benefits, not to exceed $600,000 for those that have trust-only or a combination of trust and insurance. It also strikes language stating that non-specified prepaid funeral benefit contracts negotiated after Nov. 1, 2009, are to contain a price list. It also states all such price lists reflecting the actual retail cost of funeral services and merchandise used at the time of the delivery of services must be retained for a period of at least three years. In the Senate, the bill was further amended to require insurance companies to provide coverage for colorectal examinations. The CCR replaces the previous language with language increasing from $15,000 to $20,000 the maximum amount of principal an organization may receive from any one individual under a contract for prepaid funeral benefits. It allows the maximum allowable amount of principal for subsequent years to be increased annually by a percentage equal to the previous year's increase in the national Consumer Price Index. It directs the insurance commissioner to determine the amount of the increase, if any, on April 1 of each year. | ||
| Principal Authors: | Daniel Sullivan (H), Harry Coates (S) | |||
| Effective Date: | 11/01/2009 | Emergency: | No | |
| Status Date: | 06/08/2010 | Current Status: | Governor Action - Signed | |
| SB1754 | Paraphrase: | modifies language and statutory references related to the classification of certain drugs. | ||
| Principal Authors: | Debbe Leftwich (S), Lee Denney (H) | |||
| Effective Date: | 11/01/2010 | Emergency: | No | |
| Status Date: | 04/20/2010 | Current Status: | Governor Action - Signed | |
| SB1917 | Paraphrase: | authorizes the Oklahoma Tax Commission to design and issue a Downed Bikers Association, and it moves language authorizing an Armed Forces Veterans motorcycle license plate. | ||
| Principal Authors: | Cliff Aldridge (S), Gary Banz (H) | |||
| Effective Date: | 11/01/2010 | Emergency: | No | |
| Status Date: | 04/28/2010 | Current Status: | Governor Action - Signed | |
| SB1919 | Paraphrase: | allows a tax credit for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2010, for any taxpayer who makes a donation to a cancer research institute. The bill prohibits a taxpayer from claiming more than one credit for a donation to any independent biomedical research institute and one credit for a donation to a cancer research institute. The bill also eliminates outdated language. The bill also decreases from $2 million to $1 million the figure to be used in the formula to calculate the credit for donations to an independent biomedical research institute, and it implements a formula to be used to calculate the credit for donations to a cancer research institute. It removes language placing no limits on credits to independent biomedical research institutes. The measure also institutes a new formula for the Tax Commission to use in calculating credits for donations in excess of $1 million. | ||
| Principal Authors: | Jonathan Nichols (S), Randy Terrill (H) | |||
| Effective Date: | 01/01/2011 | Emergency: | No | |
| Status Date: | 05/14/2010 | Current Status: | Governor Action - Signed | |
| SB2054 | Paraphrase: | authorizes the insurance commissioner to require any entity obligated to submit or file documents with the Department of Insurance to electronically file the documents. The bill also clarifies language in the Oklahoma Insurance Code and removes outdated language. The bill also eliminates the requirement to certain funds collected be paid to the state treasury for credit to the General Revenue Fund. The bill eliminates the requirement that the Department of Insurance mail an affidavit of exempt status under the Workers' Compensation Act form to those requesting it but requires the department to make the form available on its Web site. The bill requires insurers that use credit information to provide certain information if the consumer's credit information has been directly influenced by certain events. The bill permits a nonresident life or accident and health insurance broker applicant to receive a license in Oklahoma if they are licensed and in good standing in their home state and if the applicant's home state awards nonresident licenses to Oklahoma residents on the same basis. The bill modifies language related to health benefit plans and eliminates group policies applicable to less than 50 people from the definition. The bill removes commercial lines insurance risks or portions thereof that are not rated according to manual, rating plans or schedules, including "a" rates, from the exemption from review requirements. It creates the Unauthorized Insurers and Surplus Lines Insurance Act. It modifies language referring to surplus line insurers. It requires all licensed administrators to file an annual report for the previous calendar year reviewed by a certified public accountant who shall be independent of the administrator. The bill adds advisory board or advisory organizations to the list of organizations that are required to make loss runs or claims history available to current and former policyholders within thirty 30 days upon a written request by the policyholder. The bill permits a nonresident life or accident and health insurance broker applicant to receive an Oklahoma license if they are licensed and in good standing in their home state, and if the home state of the applicant awards nonresident licenses to residents of Oklahoma on the same basis. The bill amends the Genetic Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act to certain acts on the basis of genetic information. The bill also permits health benefit plans to provide coverage other than those required by law for mental health and substance use disorders. The bill also provides that treatment limitations for mental health and substance abuse disorder benefits will be no more restrictive than the predominant treatment limitations substantially applied to all medical and surgical benefits covered by the plan and that there shall be no separate treatment limitations applicable only to mental health or substance abuse disorder benefits. The bill requires the board to develop a plan to end the business of the Oklahoma Small Employer Health Reinsurance Program. The bill requires the board to submit the plan to the insurance commissioner for approval within 120 days of the effective date of the program's repeal and requires that the plan include, but not be limited to, an accounting of the funds and expenses of the Oklahoma Small Employer Health Reinsurance Program and a detailed description of the method of reimbursement of any funds or monies from the initial assessment to any reinsuring carriers. The bill modifies certain reporting requirements related to medical professional liability insurance policy claims. The bill permits a professional employer organization, or PEO, to use a qualified assurance organization as approved by the commissioner to provide services related to the registration of the PEO. The bill also repeals requirements that copies of volunteer fire department ordinances be submitted to the insurance commissioner. The bill also repeals additional language concerning the Small Employer Health Insurance Reform Act. The bill repeals language related to the application for license as a service warranty association. In the House, the bill was amended to remove the repealer of language under the Service Warranty Insurance Act related to application for license as a service warranty association. | ||
| Principal Authors: | Bill Brown (S), Daniel Sullivan (H) | |||
| Effective Date: | 11/01/2010 | Emergency: | No | |
| Status Date: | 05/06/2010 | Current Status: | Governor Action - Signed | |
| SB2113 | Paraphrase: | amends, merges, consolidates and repeals duplicate sections of law. | ||
| Principal Authors: | Patrick Anderson (S), Rex Duncan (H) | |||
| Effective Date: | / / | Emergency: | Yes | |
| Status Date: | 03/03/2010 | Current Status: | Governor Action - Signed | |