SB 214-PORTABLE ELECTRONICS INSURANCE ADJUSTERS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:08:23 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                              
CS  FOR  SENATE  BILL  NO.  214(L&C)   am,  "An  Act  relating  to                                                              
independent portable electronics adjuster licensing."                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:08:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
STEVEN  RICCI,   Staff,  Senator   Mike  Dunleavy,   Alaska  State                                                              
Legislature,  on  behalf  of  the  sponsor,  the  Senate  Labor  &                                                              
Commerce Committee,  stated that  SB 214 is "part  b" of SB  52, a                                                              
bill  the committee  heard  last year  that  pertains to  portable                                                              
electronic  insurance   and  relates  to  the   adjusting  aspect.                                                              
Essentially,  if someone  sends  in a  portable electronic  device                                                              
with hopes  of making  an insurance  claim, the  device is  broken                                                              
and it will be  replaced or not.  He explained  that there isn't a                                                              
judgment call  on the value of  the damage so  individuals dealing                                                              
with  the claims  are largely  performing  clerical functions  and                                                              
not  adjusting.    This  bill, SB  214,  would  allow  25  members                                                              
performing [this  type of] clerical  to work under  one registered                                                              
insurance adjuster.   Some provisions in the bill  pertain to non-                                                              
resident  licensure  of  these adjusters,  typically  working  for                                                              
large telephone,  Internet, or  mail-based nation-wide  companies.                                                              
He  characterized  this as  a  technical  cleanup to  allow  these                                                              
clerical staff to  be licensed in the state while  holding out-of-                                                              
state  licenses.   He deferred  to  the Division  of Insurance  to                                                              
answer any technical aspects.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:10:57 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON asked whether the bill has one zero fiscal note.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. RICCI answered yes.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:11:41 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARTY  HESTER,  Deputy  Director,  Division  of  Insurance  (DOI),                                                              
Department   of  Commerce,   Community   &  Economic   Development                                                              
(DCCED), stated  that the  division believes  that this  bill will                                                              
still provide consumer  protection while making it  easier for the                                                              
industry to  adjust claims.   He has reached  out to  other states                                                              
that have  enacted similar legislation  and none  have encountered                                                              
any issues with the portable electronic adjuster legislation.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:13:05 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  OLSON asked  whether  any problems  have  arisen with  this                                                              
type of coverage.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
STEVEN MCDANIEL,  Attorney, Meenan  P.A., stated that  Meenan P.A.                                                              
is outside  counsel for Asurion.   He said  this issue  is simple,                                                              
which is  why he thinks  the division is  comfortable with  the 25                                                              
to 1 ratio.   He agreed that the phones either  work or they don't                                                              
so this  differs from a  homeowner's claim  in which the  value is                                                              
adjusted and  repairs are being made  to a home or  an automobile.                                                              
He  characterized  the process,  such  that phones  are  typically                                                              
shipped out within  one or two days of the claim  being processed.                                                              
He reiterated that the claim is very simple.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  OLSON,  after  first  determining  that no  one  wished  to                                                              
testify, closed public testimony on SB 214.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:14:04 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD  moved to report  CSSB 214(L&C) AM  out of                                                              
committee  with individual  recommendations  and the  accompanying                                                              
fiscal  notes.  There  being no  objection, CSSB  214(L&C)  AM was                                                              
reported from the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.