Update: Therese Goldsmith to replace Sammis as Maryland insurance commissioner
Sixteen months after naming Beth Sammis as acting Maryland insurance commissioner, Gov. Martin O’Malley has to make another appointment to the position.
Martin O'Malley
By June 1, the governor either needs to appoint Sammis insurance commissioner, or he must make another selection. If reappointed, Sammis, who was named to succeed Ralph S. Tyler in January 2010, would serve in the acting capacity again, until the Maryland Senate confirms her appointment. The new term, for any nominee, would be for four years, ending May 31, 2015.
It remains unclear if the governor’s office is continuing its search for an insurance commissioner.
Maryland law requires the current insurance commissioner’s four-year term to end May 31. Implemented to ensure the commissioner’s position doesn’t become a pawn when new governors are elected, the law can be confusing.
“We’re aware of the deadline and the state will make the appointment before the expiration of the term,” Takirra Winfield, an O’Malley spokeswoman, told IFAwebnews.com.
In an email sent about an hour earlier, Winfield gave a different explanation about how O’Malley would act. “Beth would actually remain acting commissioner even after her term ends until we replace or reappoint her,” Winfield wrote. Winfield’s follow-up response came after a reporter suggested the law implies the need for the governor to take formal action.
Two state documents make clear when the term ends. In an undated job posting found on the state’s website, the request for applicants for insurance commissioner notes that any nominee, presumably applying to replace Tyler, would be selected to complete his term. “The Commissioner will be appointed, by the Governor with Senate advice and consent, to the remainder of a four year term which expires on May 31, 2011,” according to the job posting.
When Tyler, a former Baltimore City solicitor and advisor to O’Malley, was appointed in September 2007, the state said he would serve “a four-year term ending May 31, 2011,” according to the governor’s office statement on the appointment.
As Tyler’s replacement, Sammis’ term is the same.
“I am focused on serving Maryland’s citizens and ensuring that consumers are protected under the law,” Sammis said through a spokeswoman, when asked by IFAwebnews.com about how long she expects to serve as commissioner.
Tyler appointed Sammis, a former vice president of government affairs for UnitedHealthcare and Mid-Atlantic Medical Services Inc. (MAMSI), which was bought by UHC, as deputy commissioner in 2007.
Earlier this year, Sammis received praise from an insurance lobbyist. “I have seen a lot of commissioners in 30 years, said Bryson Popham. “You can engage her in a policy discussion on any issue and she will give you an honest hearing.”
At several industry events in the last year, agents have asked Sammis if and when she will be confirmed.
The insurance commissioner has regulatory authority over Maryland’s $26 billion insurance industry and an annual budget of more than $27 million.
O’Malley nears deadline to appoint Md. insurance commissioner via IFAwebnews .