Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman apparently will be forced to step down as the state?s top insurance regulator because she cannot garner the necessary Senate votes for confirmation. Kitzman, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry nearly two years ago, has faced opposition from both Democrats and Republicans in the upper chamber, according to several senators. To remain as commissioner, she would need the support of at least two-thirds of senators in the current legislative session.
Senate Nominations Committee Chairman Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, said Thursday he was posting the agenda for his last meeting of the session ? next Monday ? and it did not include Kitzman?s name. In fact, Perry never reappointed Kitzman as commissioner after her original term expired earlier this year ? in large part because of opposition to her nomination in the Senate. ?I think the vote would be close, but it does not appear she would have the votes in the nominations committee, much less the full Senate,? Hegar said. ?The opposition is bipartisan.?
Senate Democrats, in particular, were unhappy with Kitzman?s tenure, during which she rarely questioned homeowners rate increases filed by the state?s largest property insurers. ?We have had an opportunity to see her in action, and I continue to believe she is not an insurance commissioner who protects consumers,? said Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Kirk Watson, D-Austin. ?I have strongly disagreed with the way she has handled some key issues.? Watson, a member of the nominations committee, said objections to Kitzman from senators of both parties are varied. She also drew vigorous criticism from Texas Watch and other consumer groups, who asserted that she never stood up to large insurance companies in the face of large premium hikes in recent years.
Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/05/insurance-commissioner-forced-out-by-senate.html/
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