2023 Senate Bill 268 / Public Act 167

Insurance: life; adjustment of death benefit for cemetery or funeral goods and services; modify.

An act to amend 1956 PA 218, entitled “An act to revise, consolidate, and classify the laws relating to the insurance and surety business; to regulate the incorporation or formation of domestic insurance and surety companies and associations and the admission of foreign and alien companies and associations; to provide their rights, powers, and immunities and to prescribe the conditions on which companies and associations organized, existing, or authorized under this act may exercise their powers; to provide the rights, powers, and immunities and to prescribe the conditions on which other persons, firms, corporations, associations, risk retention groups, and purchasing groups engaged in an insurance or surety business may exercise their powers; to provide for the imposition of a privilege fee on domestic insurance companies and associations and the state accident fund; to provide for the imposition of a tax on the business of foreign and alien companies and associations; to provide for the imposition of a tax on risk retention groups and purchasing groups; to provide for the imposition of a tax on the business of surplus line agents; to provide for the imposition of regulatory fees on certain insurers; to provide for assessment fees on certain health maintenance organizations; to modify tort liability arising out of certain accidents; to provide for limited actions with respect to that modified tort liability and to prescribe certain procedures for maintaining those actions; to require security for losses arising out of certain accidents; to provide for the continued availability and affordability of automobile insurance and homeowners insurance in this state and to facilitate the purchase of that insurance by all residents of this state at fair and reasonable rates; to provide for certain reporting with respect to insurance and with respect to certain claims against uninsured or self-insured persons; to prescribe duties for certain state departments and officers with respect to that reporting; to provide for certain assessments; to establish and continue certain state insurance funds; to modify and clarify the status, rights, powers, duties, and operations of the nonprofit malpractice insurance fund; to provide for the departmental supervision and regulation of the insurance and surety business within this state; to provide for regulation over worker’s compensation self-insurers; to provide for the conservation, rehabilitation, or liquidation of unsound or insolvent insurers; to provide for the protection of policyholders, claimants, and creditors of unsound or insolvent insurers; to provide for associations of insurers to protect policyholders and claimants in the event of insurer insolvencies; to prescribe educational requirements for insurance agents and solicitors; to provide for the regulation of multiple employer welfare arrangements; to create an automobile theft prevention authority to reduce the number of automobile thefts in this state; to prescribe the powers and duties of the automobile theft prevention authority; to provide certain powers and duties upon certain officials, departments, and authorities of this state; to provide for an appropriation; to repeal acts and parts of acts; and to provide penalties for the violation of this act,” by amending section 2080 (MCL 500.2080), as amended by 2008 PA 513.

House Fiscal Agency Analysis

Senate Bill 268 would amend the Insurance Code to remove a provision that now requires the death benefit of a prepaid funeral contract to increase annually to account for inflation. The bill also would change certain dollar maximums provided in statute to reflect mandated inflation adjustments that have been made since the maximums were first enacted.

Introduced in the Senate

April 19, 2023

Introduced by Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-12) and 9 co-sponsors

Co-sponsored by Sens. Joseph Bellino (R-16), Paul Wojno (D-10), Veronica Klinefelt (D-11), John Cherry (D-27), Sean McCann (D-19), Dayna Polehanki (D-5), Dan Lauwers (R-25), Mark Huizenga (R-30) and John Damoose (R-37)

Referred to the Committee on Regulatory Affairs

June 13, 2023

Reported with substitute S-1

Referred to the Committee of the Whole

Reported with substitute S-1

Substitute S-1 concurred in by voice vote

June 14, 2023

Passed in the Senate 38 to 0 (details)

Received in the House

June 14, 2023

Referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform

Sept. 12, 2023

Reported without amendment

Sept. 26, 2023

Passed in the House 95 to 14 (details)

Motion to give immediate effect by Rep. Jimmie Wilson (D-32)

The motion prevailed by voice vote

Received in the Senate

Oct. 3, 2023

Motion to give immediate effect by Sen. Sam Singh (D-28)

The motion prevailed by voice vote

Signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Oct. 19, 2023