The Office of the Montana State Auditor, Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (CSI), generates the third most revenue of any agency in the State. Of that revenue, only a small percentage is used to fund the agency. The remaining funds are transferred to the State General Fund, the Healthy Montana Kids Program, and other state-based programs.

 

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2021 Legislative Priorities

The Office of the Montana State Auditor is a criminal justice agency charged with protecting Montana’s consumers through insurance and securities education, regulation, and advocacy. Insurance and securities have changed over the years but the responsibility of the Commissioner to Montana consumers has not changed. In the 2021 legislative session (67^th regular session), Commissioner Downing is proposing a package of common-sense and bipartisan legislation that aligns with his agency’s top priorities:

• Protecting Consumers
• Lowering Consumer Cost
• Reducing excessive or unnecessary government regulation
• Protecting the Integrity of the Insurance and Securities Industry
• Promoting the development and expansion of insurance markets
• Expanding Consumer Options and Advocacy in Healthcare

Commissioner Downing has worked diligently to bring forward the following insurance and securities legislation:

INSURANCE LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES

1. Provide for restitution for consumers in insurance cases
2. Expand telemedicine to align with technology and current clinical practices
3. Grow the captive insurance market in Montana by eliminating unnecessary exams
4. Reduce the numbers of years automobile and homeowners’ insurance underwriters can review adverse claims history
5. Exempting Montana State Fund from the Montana Information Technology Act and the Montana Procurement Act
6. Expanding access to healthcare alternatives, such as health sharing ministries and direct patient care models

SECURITIES LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES

1. Require supervisors of brokers, typically living out of state, to be licensed in Montana
2. Protect whistleblowers from retaliation if reporting fraud
3. Maintain funding of Securities Restitution Fund to reimburse victims of fraud

Tracked Bills

Title	Bill #	Sponsor	Read Bill	Fact Sheet	Bill Status
Expand Telemedicine	HB 43	Knudsen	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Captives Examinations	SB 28	Salomon	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Accreditation	HB 80	Seekings-Crowe	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Insurance Housekeeping	HB 63	Dooling	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Securities Housekeeping	HB 41	Funk	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Supervisor Registration	HB 65	Moore	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Uniform Whistleblower Act	HB 64	Moore	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Securities Restitution Fund	HB 66	Moore	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Repeal Med Mal Association	HB 74	Gillette	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Captives Fees	SB 76	Salomon	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Workers Compensation Modernatization	HB 118	Ricci	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Homeowner Look Back	HB 195	Ricci	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Auto Look Back	HB 117	Ricci	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Direct Patient Care Safe Harbor	SB 101	Smith	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Insurance Restitution Authority	LC1098	Vinton	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Health Sharing Arrangements	SB 149	McGillvray	Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Insurance Rate Discrimination	LC1097		Text	FACT SHEET	Status
Repeal Certificate of Need	HB 231	Reigier	Text	FACT SHEET	Status

CSI Legislative Documents

Learn More About the 2021 Legislative Session

Legislative Updates