| FROM THE COMMISSIONER |
Taking the Reins
Recently Elected Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt
Shares Her Plans to Serve the Needs of Kansans.
Vicki Schmidt
Kansas Insurance Commissioner
F
or 14 years in the Kansas Senate, I enjoyed
having a great working relationship with the
folks representing the Kansas Association
of Insurance Agents, and I am thrilled I will
get to continue working with you in my new role as
Kansas Insurance Commissioner. I will continue to be
open and honest with you about how I believe we can
work together to improve not only the interactions
consumers in Kansas have with insurance producers,
but also the interactions you as professionals in the
field have with the department.
It has been a whirlwind of a last couple of months.
Prior to swearing in, I met with nearly every person
in the department to get a better handle on the
people and the work. I wanted to do what I could to
come into office on January 14 prepared to move
the department forward in a positive direction. Since
moving in on inauguration day, I have also worked
to get a handle on the legislative agenda as I know
things move quickly at the capitol.
Too often elected officials exceed their authority. I
don’t intend to be one of them. When I was elected
to this position, I resigned my seat in the Kansas
Senate and gave up my role in the policy making
process. As the Commissioner of the Insurance
Department, we will not weigh in on specific policy
debates before the legislature, except to provide
fiscal and market analysis. It is the responsibility
of policy makers to enact policy, and it is my job
8
as a regulator to responsibly regulate insurance
that falls within the jurisdiction of the department.
My primary focus is and will remain protecting
consumers from bad actors and ensuring financial
soundness of those doing business in our state.
In the first few weeks in January we did a lot. I
met with the directors of the department to re-
establish some expectations for the department. As
professionals in the field, you work a full work week
and then some. It is my expectation that the staff of
the Insurance Department do the same. Service to
you and the public is important to me, and I have
done what I can in the short time I have been in
office to lead by example. I have been at the office
every day, including the weekend and Federal holiday,
to get things on track. It’s a real honor to serve, and
I want Kansans to know I have high expectations of
customer service for the department.
Thank you for serving the insurance needs of
Kansans. I look forward to continuing this column in
the future, and I sincerely appreciate you taking time
to read it. If I can ever be of assistance in any way,
please do not hesitate to reach out.
Vicki Schmidt was elected in November 2018 with the largest
vote total of any statewide candidate. Commissioner Schmidt
is the 26th Commissioner of Insurance for Kansas and is the
first pharmacist to hold the office in Kansas. Commissioner
Schmidt is the only pharmacist elected statewide in the country.
KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | January - February 2019 |