Kansas Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius is taking steps to change the attitude of the estimated 10% of the state's 1.8 million licensed drivers who go without insurance coverage.
Sebelius has presented her 1999 Auto Insurance Improvement Act to the state legislature. The act calls for stricter enforcement of laws, including significant fines for first-time offenders. Under the current law, it is cheaper to pay the $25 penalty than to purchase insurance. Sebelius' plan would boost the penalty for failure to follow the law and purchase insurance. Under her plan, if drivers cannot provide proof of insurance, they will face penalties of up to $2,500 in fines and up to one year of jail time. Conviction on a charge of driving without insurance will trigger an automatic suspension of the offender's driver's license.
Kansas has the eighth lowest auto insurance rates in the country. Over 200 companies offer auto insurance to Kansas consumers, which clearly establishes a competitive auto insurance market.
Contact the Insurance Commissioner's office at (785) 296-3071 or access the Kansas Insurance Department's Web site (www.ink.org/public/kid) for more information.
Oklahoma
OAIA plans CISR seminar
The Oklahoma Association of Insurance Agents (OAIA) will hold a CISR seminar in March. The seminar, "Insuring Personal Auto Exposures," has been approved for seven CE credit hours and will be offered in the following cities:
Tulsa--March 17
Oklahoma City--March 18
Chandler--March 19
The day-long seminar will be facilitated by Linda Sullivan, CIC, of Alexander & Strunk, Inc.
The cost of registration is $90. Because class size is limited, advanced registration is required.
To register or for more information call the OAIA at: (405) 840-4426 or (800) 324-4426.
Kansas
Young Agents Council presents award
The Young Agents Council of Kansas offers two grants throughout the year to be distributed toward safety-related programs in Kansas. The grant is a matching grant and must be matched 50/50 by any independent insurance agency that is a member of the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents.
Seneca Fire Chief Ken Strathman received a check from Dave Haverkamp, president of the Young Agents Council of Kansas, for the purchase of Tot Finder Stickers that were distributed to all the local schools during Fire Prevention Week. The matching grant program provided the funds for the stickers.
Dave Haverkamp is the agency manager for Insurance Services of Seneca which matched the funds for the grant. He noted, "Having a program like this in place is a way to show that the independent insurance agent is here not only to provide the professional service our clients deserve, but also to invest in our communities to make them a better and safer place in which to live."
Missouri, Oklahoma
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquires two brokers
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced that it has acquired Man-Morris Insurors, Inc., of Springfield, Missouri and R&R/Select, Inc., of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
Established in 1958, Man-Morris Insurors, Inc., is a retail property/casualty insurance brokerage agency specializing in manufacturers, wholesalers, contractors and the amusement industry. James W. Sanders, president, and his 22 employees will continue to operate in Springfield under the direction of James Agnew, area president of Gallagher's St. Louis office.
R&R/Select, Inc., founded in 1990, is a managing general agency for over 1,000 retail brokers in Oklahoma and in Arkansas through its Harbor Excess & Surplus subsidiary located in Little Rock. They market all lines of commercial and personal property/casualty insurance. Michael L. Goodell, president, and his 30 employees will continue to operate as a division of Risk Placement Service, Inc., under the direction of David McGurn, Gallagher's vice president--Specialty and International Marketing.
Montana
CIC Commercial Casualty Institute scheduled for April
The CIC Commercial Casualty Institute will be held April 21-24, 1999, at the Double Tree Inn in Missoula. Changes to the CGL recently were released by ISO and adopted by Montana in December 1998. Agents will be updated on these changes in this institute.
In addition to the CGL, topics to be discussed will include: essentials of legal liability, business auto coverages, excess liability/commercial umbrella coverages and workers compensation. Additionally, professional liability will be presented and analyzed.
The faculty consists of well-known experts on commercial casualty issues and policies: Patrick Deem, Sr., CIC; Mike Mansel, CIC; and Jerry M. Milton, CIC.
Attendance at the Institute qualifies for 19 hours of CE credit. There will be an optional commercial casualty examination on Saturday monrning.
For more information regarding this Institute, upcoming CIC institutes to be offered in Montana, or the CIC program itself, contact Linda Lawrence, MIEF Education Coordinator, at (406) 442-9555. *
©COPYRIGHT: The Rough Notes Magazine, 1999