The Georgia House overwhelmingly passed legislation Friday to keep state insurance commissioners from granting themselves insurance licenses without passing mandatory tests.
The House's 155-0 vote came less than two weeks after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that outgoing Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine granted himself several agent and adjuster licenses the day before he left office in January. He used an insurance agency rule to exempt himself from mandatory education and testing requirements.
Rep. Bill Hembree, R-Winston, an insurance agent, sponsored the bill to outlaw the practice, saying it was unfair to the thousands of Georgians who must pass tests to get licenses.
"Elected officials should not use their authority to grant themselves rights to circumvent procedures they regulate," Hembree said. "A regulator should set an example for others to follow. If they don't, it will undermine the public's trust."
Oxendine's successor, Ralph Hudgens, said he could not revoke Oxendine's licenses because of the rule allowing him to waive requirements. However, he pushed for the Hembree bill, which now heads to the Senate.
The Senate is considering a wider-ranging bill that would keep all state agency officials who issue professional licenses from waiving education and testing requirements for themselves.
The Georgia Alliance for Ethics Reform on Friday signaled its support for the Senate bill. The alliance includes Common Cause Georgia, Georgia Tea Party Patriots, Georgia Watch and the League of Women Voters of Georgia.
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