New Members of the House Insurance Committee 2017
The newly-appointed House Insurance Committee has several new members, including a new chair. We will discuss the impact of the committee turnover on our call next Wednesday. In the meantime, here is some information about the new members of the committee.

Chairman Larry Phillips (R-Sherman) - First elected in 2003, Rep. Phillips represents House District 62 in north Texas. He has served as chair of three committees previously including Homeland Security and Public Safety, Transportation, and General Investigating & Ethics. The 85th Legislature is his first time to serve on the House Insurance Committee. He has also been reappointed to the House Transportation Committee. Phillips is an attorney, earning his J.D from the University of Houston and B.B.A from Baylor.

Rep. Scott Sanford (R-McKinney) - Sanford is the representative of Texas’ House District 70, first elected in 2012 and beginning his third term. Sanford works as a pastor at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church in Allen (which is north of Dallas.) He is also an owner of two franchise endeavors. He previously worked at Ernst & Young. Sanford attended Baylor where he was roommates with Miles Mathews, a friend of TALHI who represents Guardian Life as its counsel in Texas. He earned BBA and MTax degrees, and maintains a CPA license in the State of Texas.

Rep. Rodney Anderson (R-Grand Prairie) - A native of Grand Prairie (which is in the Dallas area), Anderson attended Grand Prairie High School and later graduated from UT-Arlington with a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Real Estate in 1990. Representative Anderson is currently a Senior Vice President at Alliant National Title Insurance Company and is serving his third term in the Texas House of Representatives. This is his first appointment to both House Insurance and House Elections Committees.

Rep. Lance Gooden (R- Terrell) initially served from 2011 through 2015 before losing his November 2014 re-election bid. His district is east of Dallas. He was subsequently re-elected in the November 2016 election. In the 2010 primary election, Gooden won 50.5 percent of the vote, upsetting six-term incumbent Republican Representative Betty Brown. Gooden had formerly been Brown's legislative assistant. In his previous terms, he served on the Appropriations, County Affairs, and House Administration Committees, the latter of which handles employment by the House. He will also serve on the Public Education Committee this session. He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he obtained his B.A. And his B.B.A.  Representative Gooden is a risk-management consultant.

Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) is a freshman legislator this year. His district is northwest of Houston.  He is a practicing anesthesiologist and a partner in US Anesthesia Partners, the largest anesthesiology group in Texas Dr. Oliverson is recognized as an expert in office-based anesthesia and consults with doctors and dentists throughout the state in order to make office surgery safer for patients. Previous to his election, Dr. Oliverson was active in organized medicine through the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists. In 2013, Dr. Oliverson designed SB 978 and worked with legislators in Austin to pass it. The bill amended the Texas Medical Board regulation of physicians performing anesthesia in office-based settings. He is "an unapologetic defender of life and a small government conservative" who advocates for free markets and limited government regulations. He attended Sam Houston State and obtained his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine.

TDI Bill Concept: Holding Company Reporting Requirements, Including Enterprise Risk Reports
Kevin Brady with TDI has distributed this bill draft addressing the Department’s Biennial Report issue regarding enterprise risk reports. TALHI counsel Jay Thompson has reviewed and thinks the bill draft looks good. Please review and let Jennifer know if you have any comments.

Memorial Resolutions
Representative John Smithee has had a House Concurrent Resolution drafted honoring Brenda Nation. Senator Hancock is sponsoring the Senate Concurrent Resolution. When we are notified that the resolution will be heard on the House and Senate floor we will let the membership know. Texas House and Senate sessions can be viewed online. Chairman Smithee is also sponsoring a resolution for Will Davis. We will let everyone know when that resolution will be heard as well.

For those of you in the Austin area, we will be holding a happy hour reception next Thursday, February 16 in honor of our friend and colleague Brenda. We will meet starting at 5:00 pm at the Law Offices of Craig Eiland, TTLA Building, 1220 Colorado St., Suite 300 (West side of Capitol).

TALHI Policy Committee Call
The Policy Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 15, at 10 am Central. Members are welcome to listen in on the call. To call in, dial 1-888-537-7715 and enter code 567-111-567# when prompted. An agenda will be posted next week.

Calendar

February 15, 2017, 10 am Central
TALHI Policy Committee Call

February 16, 2017, 5 pm Central
Reception Honoring Brenda Nation

September 24-26, 2017
TALHI Round Up, Austin Four Seasons

Jennifer Cawley
Executive Director
(512) 651-3573 (Direct)
(512) 656-2850 (Mobile)
(512) 472-6886 (Main)