Senate Insurance Committee Records, 1981-2004

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Summary

Title:
California State Senate Insurance Committee Records
Dates:
1981-2004
Creators:
Senate Insurance Committee, Senate Insurance, Claims and Corporations Committee, Senate Subcommittee on Earthquake Insurance, and Senate Insurance and Indemnity Committee
Abstract:
The present Senate Insurance Committee was created with Senate Resolution 58 on August 30, 1994, and charged to hear bills relating to insurance, indemnity, surety, warranty agreements, liens, claims, unclaimed property, collections and franchises. The Senate Insurance Committee Records consist of 54.5 cubic feet of Senate Insurance Committee files, including the Senate Insurance and Indemnity Committee (1981-1982), Senate Insurance Claims and Corporations Committee (1983-1994), the Subcommittee on Earthquake Insurance (1987-1992), and the Senate Insurance Committee (1995-2004).
Extent:
54.5 cubic feet
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Senate Insurance Committee Records, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This record group consists of 54.5 cubic feet of Senate Insurance Committee files, including the Senate Insurance and Indemnity Committee (1981-1982), Senate Insurance Claims and Corporations Committee (1983-1994), the Subcommittee on Earthquake Insurance (1987-1992), and the Senate Insurance Committee (1995-2004). The records are organized into five series: bill files, hearing files, subject files, correspondence, and Quackenbush Investigative Files. The Subcommittee on Earthquake Insurance files are organized in a subgroup consisting of bill files and hearing files.

The records cover a wide range of issues dealing with various types of insurance, including but not limited to: health, automobile, earthquake, homeowners, and life insurance. The committee also saw legislation on regulations imposed on the Department of Insurance and the Insurance Commissioner. Topics such as insurance fraud, investments, liability, Proposition 103 insurance reform, regulations on health care service plans, Health Maintenance Organizations, the Healthy Families Program, the Knox-Keene Program, small business insurance, unclaimed property, and surplus line brokers yield significant information for research.

Biographical / historical:

The Insurance and Indemnity Committee was created by Senate Resolution 8 on January 5, 1981, existing only in the 1981-1982 session. The committee's focus then was on bills relating to insurance and indemnity. The committee's scope was broadened in the 1983-1984 session when Senate Resolution 11 passed on March 17, 1983, establishing the Senate Insurance, Claims and Corporation Committee. The committee heard bills relating to insurance, indemnity, surety, warranty, agreements, liens, claims, including retail credit, unclaimed property, collections, corporations, and franchises. The name and responsibilities would remain as such until the 1995-1996 legislative session when the present Senate Insurance Committee was created with Senate Resolution 58 on August 30, 1994. With the change in name, the committee would no longer hear bills concerning corporations and retail credit claims. The Senate Insurance Committee was charged with hearing bills relating to insurance, indemnity, surety, warranty agreements, liens, claims, unclaimed property, collections and franchises.

In 1981 the Insurance and Indemnity Committee consisted of 5 members with Senator Alan Robbins as Chair. Although the committee's name changed in 1983, Robbins continued as chair and the number of committee members stayed the same until 1987 when it increased to nine members. In November of 1991, Robbins, who was convicted of extorting money from special interests, engaging in obstruction of justice, and filing a false tax return, resigned leaving the chair spot vacant for the remainder of the session. It would not be until the 1993-1994 session that Senator Art Torres would become chair and increase the committee to eleven members. The 1995-1996 session brought Senator Herschel Rosenthal to chair the newly named Senate Insurance Committee with nine members. Rosenthal remained chair for two sessions until 1999 when Jackie Speier took over and increased the number to ten members in the committee. She would continue for three sessions as chair, changing the number of members to seven in the 2001-2002 session, and again to nine in 2003-2004.

Acquisition information:
The California State Archives acquired the Senate Insurance Committee records according to state law.
Physical location:
California State Archives
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by Melissa Larson
Date Prepared:
© 2008
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid created by Melissa Larson. Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word. Date of source: 1 March 2008.

Access and use

Restrictions:

The Quackenbush Investigative Files series is restricted under the Legislative Open Records Act Government Code Section 9075 (c) and (k).

Terms of access:

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Senate Insurance Committee Records, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Location of this collection:
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, CA 95814, US
Contact:
(916) 653-2246
reference@sos.ca.gov
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