CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                 Bill No. CS for SB 2522, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)

                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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 2                                 .
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 3                                 .
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 4                                                                

 5                                           ORIGINAL STAMP BELOW

 6

 7

 8

 9

10                                                                

11  Representative(s) Tullis and Bitner offered the following:

12

13         Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 29, between lines 4 & 5, of the bill

15

16  insert:

17         Section 14.  Subsection (2) of section 624.4071,

18  Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

19         624.4071  Special purpose homeowner insurance

20  company.--

21         (2)  A special purpose homeowner insurance company must

22  have a parent company, and both companies must meet the

23  requirements of this subsection in order for the subsidiary to

24  qualify for and maintain a certificate of authority under this

25  section.

26         (a)  The parent company must be an admitted insurer in

27  at least one state in the United States and must have over $50

28  million in capital and surplus.

29         (b)  The parent company must have and maintain at least

30  51 percent of the equity and at least 51 percent of the

31  control of the special purpose homeowner insurance company.

                                  1

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                 Bill No. CS for SB 2522, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1         (c)  An insurer not authorized to transact business in

 2  this state, but that otherwise meets the requirements of this

 3  section, may apply as a special purpose homeowner insurance

 4  company.

 5         (d)  The special purpose homeowner insurance company

 6  must:

 7         1.  Have and maintain at least $10 million in surplus

 8  and otherwise satisfy the requirements of s. 624.4095.

 9         2.  Be a member of the Florida Insurance Guaranty

10  Association and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, and be

11  subject to any of their required assessments and premium

12  charges. However, a special purpose homeowner insurance

13  company may not be a member of the Florida Windstorm

14  Underwriting Association or the Florida Residential Property

15  and Casualty Joint Underwriting Association, and neither the

16  company nor its policyholders are subject to any assessments

17  by these associations except for emergency assessments

18  collected from policyholders pursuant to s.

19  627.351(2)(b)2.d.(III) and (6)(b)3.d. For the sole purpose of

20  levying and collecting emergency assessments and determining

21  the statewide written premium for property insurance, special

22  purpose homeowner insurance companies shall be considered

23  member insurers of the Florida Windstorm Underwriting

24  Association and the Florida Residential Property and Casualty

25  Joint Underwriting Association. For the sole purpose of

26  reimbursement under s. 215.555(4)(e)3., a special purpose

27  homeowner insurance company shall be considered a limited

28  apportionment company as defined under s. 627.351(2)(b)3.

29         3.  Offer coverage for all perils, including windstorm,

30  in providing residential coverage as defined in s. 627.4025. A

31  special purpose homeowner insurance company's rates must be

                                  2

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                 Bill No. CS for SB 2522, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  filed with the department. After a period of 1 year from the

 2  date a company receives a certificate of authority, the

 3  company's rates are subject to department approval under s.

 4  627.062.

 5         Section 15.  Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (1)

 6  of section 628.715, Florida Statutes, and paragraph (b) of

 7  subsection (2) of said section, is amended to read:

 8         628.715  Merger and acquisitions.--Subject to

 9  applicable requirements of this chapter, a mutual insurance

10  holding company may:

11         (1)

12         (f)  Merge or consolidate with, or acquire the assets

13  of, a foreign mutual insurance company which redomesticates

14  pursuant to s. 628.520.  The members of the foreign mutual

15  insurance company may approve the redomestication plan, as

16  well as the plan and agreement for merger and reorganization

17  as provided in subsection (2), in a contemporaneous vote.

18         (2)  A reorganization pursuant to this section is

19  subject to the applicable procedures prescribed by the laws of

20  this state applying to corporations formed for profit, except

21  as otherwise provided in this subsection.

22         (b)  No such merger shall be effectuated unless in

23  advance thereof, the plan and agreement therefor have been

24  filed with the department and approved by it. The department

25  may retain outside consultants to evaluate each merger.  The

26  domestic mutual insurance holding company shall pay reasonable

27  costs associated with retaining such consultants.  Such

28  payments shall be made directly to the consultant.  The

29  department shall give such approval unless it finds such plan

30  or agreement:

31         1.  Is inequitable to the policyholders of any domestic

                                  3

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                 Bill No. CS for SB 2522, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  insurer involved in the merger or the members of any domestic

 2  mutual insurance holding company involved in the merger; or

 3         2.  Would substantially reduce the security of and

 4  service to be rendered to policyholders of a domestic insurer

 5  in this state.

 6         Section 16.  Subsection (5) is added to section

 7  628.231, Florida Statutes, to read:

 8         628.231  Directors; number, election.--

 9         (5)  In discharging his or her duties, a director may

10  consider such factors as the directors deem relevant,

11  including, but not limited to, the long-term prospects and

12  interests of the corporation and its shareholders, the social,

13  economic, legal, or other effects of any action on the

14  employees, suppliers, or policyholders of the corporation or

15  its subsidiaries, the communities and society in which the

16  corporation or its subsidiaries operate, and the economy of

17  the state and the nation.  The director may also consider the

18  short-term and long-term interests of the insurer, including,

19  but not limited to, benefits that may accrue to the insured

20  from the insurer's long-term plans, the possibility that such

21  interests may be best served by the continued independence of

22  the insurer, the resources, intent, and past, present, and

23  potential conduct of any person seeking to acquire control of

24  the insurer, and any other relevant factors.

25         Section 17.  Subsection (5) is added to section

26  628.723, Florida Statutes, to read:

27         628.723  Directors; number; election.--

28         (5)  In discharging his or her duties, a director may

29  consider such factors as the directors deem relevant,

30  including, but not limited to, the long-term prospects and

31  interests of the corporation and its shareholders, the social,

                                  4

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                 Bill No. CS for SB 2522, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  economic, legal, or other effects of any action on the

 2  employees, suppliers, or policyholders of the corporation or

 3  its subsidiaries, the communities and society in which the

 4  corporation or its subsidiaries operate, and the economy of

 5  the state and the nation.  The director may also consider the

 6  short-term and long-term interests of the insurer, including,

 7  but not limited to, benefits that may accrue to the insured

 8  from the insurer's long-term plans, the possibility that such

 9  interests may be best served by the continued independence of

10  the insurer, the resources, intent, and past, present, and

11  potential conduct of any person seeking to acquire control of

12  the insurer, and any other relevant factors.

13         Section 18.  Subsection (1) of section 628.729, Florida

14  Statutes, is amended to read:

15         628.729  Member's share of assets on voluntary

16  dissolution.--

17         (1)  Upon any voluntary dissolution of a domestic

18  mutual insurance holding company, its assets remaining after

19  discharge of its indebtedness, if any, and expenses of

20  administration, shall be distributed to existing persons who

21  were its members at any time within the 3-year period

22  preceding the date such liquidation was authorized or ordered,

23  or date of last termination of the insurer's certificate of

24  authority, whichever date is earlier; except, if the

25  department has reason to believe that those in charge of the

26  management of the mutual insurance holding company have caused

27  or encouraged the reduction of the number of members of the

28  insurer in anticipation of liquidation and for the purpose of

29  reducing thereby the number of persons who may be entitled to

30  share in distribution of the insurer's assets, the department

31  may enlarge the 3-year 5-year qualification period by such

                                  5

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                 Bill No. CS for SB 2522, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  additional time as the department may deem to be reasonable.

 2         Section 19.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

 3  law.

 4

 5

 6  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

 7  And the title is amended as follows:

 8         On page 2, line 22, after the semicolon,

 9

10  insert:

11         amending s. 624.4071, F.S.; providing

12         qualifications for special purpose homeowner

13         insurance companies; amending s. 628.715, F.S.;

14         authorizing a mutual insurance holding company

15         to merge or consolidate with, or acquire the

16         assets of, a foreign mutual insurance company

17         under certain circumstances; providing for the

18         use of consultants; amending ss. 628.231 and

19         628.723, F.S.; authorizing directors of

20         domestic insurers and mutual insurance holding

21         companies to consider certain factors while

22         taking corporate action in discharging their

23         duties; amending s. 628.729, F.S.; revising the

24         qualification period;  providing an effective

25         date.

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  6

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