SHB 2842 -
By Representative Kirby
ADOPTED 02/12/2010
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 48.31 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Documents, materials, or other information that the
commissioner obtains under this chapter in the commissioner's capacity
as a receiver as defined in RCW 48.99.010(12), are records under the
jurisdiction and control of the receivership court. These records are
confidential by law and privileged, are not subject to chapter 42.56 or
40.14 RCW, and are not subject to subpoena directed to the commissioner
or any person who received documents, materials, or other information
while acting under the authority of the commissioner. The commissioner
is authorized to use such documents, materials, or other information in
the furtherance of any regulatory or legal action brought as a part of
the commissioner's official duties. The confidentiality and privilege
created by this section and RCW 42.56.400(17) is not waived if
confidential and privileged information under this section is shared
with any person acting under the authority of the commissioner,
representatives of insurance guaranty associations that may have
statutory obligations as a result of the insolvency of an insurer, the
national association of insurance commissioners and its affiliates and
subsidiaries, regulatory and law enforcement officials of other states
and nations, the federal government, and international authorities.
(2) Neither the commissioner nor any person who received documents,
materials, or other information while acting under the authority of the
commissioner as receiver is required to testify in any private civil
action concerning any confidential and privileged documents, materials,
or information subject to subsection (1) of this section.
(3) Any person who can demonstrate a legal interest in the
receivership estate or a reasonable suspicion of negligence or
malfeasance by the commissioner related to an insurer receivership may
file a motion in the receivership matter to allow inspection of private
company information or documents otherwise not subject to disclosure
under subsection (1) of this section. The court shall conduct an in-camera review after notifying the commissioner and every party that
produced the information. The court may order the commissioner to
allow the petitioner to have access to the information provided the
petitioner maintains the confidentiality of the information. The
petitioner must not disclose the information to any other person,
except upon further order of the court. After conducting a hearing,
the court may order that the information can be disclosed publicly if
the court finds that there is a public interest in the disclosure of
the information and protection of the information from public
disclosure is clearly unnecessary to protect any individual's right of
privacy, or any company's proprietary information, and the commissioner
has not demonstrated that disclosure would impair any vital
governmental function, or the receiver's ability to manage the estate.
(4) The confidentiality and privilege of documents, materials, or
other information obtained by the receiver set forth in subsections (1)
and (2) of this section does not apply to litigation to which the
insurer in receivership is a party. In such instances, discovery is
governed by the Washington rules of civil procedure.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 48.99 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Documents, materials, or other information that the
commissioner obtains under this chapter in the commissioner's capacity
as a receiver, are records under the jurisdiction and control of the
receivership court. These records are confidential by law and
privileged, are not subject to chapter 42.56 or 40.14 RCW, and are not
subject to subpoena directed to the commissioner or any person who
received documents, materials, or other information while acting under
the authority of the commissioner. The commissioner is authorized to
use such documents, materials, or other information in the furtherance
of any regulatory or legal action brought as a part of the
commissioner's official duties. The confidentiality and privilege
created by this section and RCW 42.56.400(17) is not waived if
confidential and privileged information under this section is shared
with any person acting under the authority of the commissioner,
representatives of insurance guaranty associations that may have
statutory obligations as a result of the insolvency of an insurer, the
national association of insurance commissioners and its affiliates and
subsidiaries, regulatory and law enforcement officials of other states
and nations, the federal government, and international authorities.
(2) Neither the commissioner nor any person who received documents,
materials, or other information while acting under the authority of the
commissioner as receiver is required to testify in any private civil
action concerning any confidential and privileged documents, materials,
or information subject to subsection (1) of this section.
(3) Any person who can demonstrate a legal interest in the
receivership estate or a reasonable suspicion of negligence or
malfeasance by the commissioner related to an insurer receivership may
file a motion in the receivership matter to allow inspection of private
company information or documents not subject to public disclosure under
subsection (1) of this section. The court shall conduct an in-camera
review after notifying the commissioner and every party that produced
the information. The court may order the commissioner to allow the
petitioner to have access to the information, provided the petitioner
maintains the confidentiality of the information. The petitioner must
not disclose the information to any other person, except upon further
order of the court. After conducting a hearing, the court may order
that the information can be disclosed if the court finds that there is
a public interest in the disclosure of the information and the
protection of the information from public disclosure is clearly
unnecessary to protect any individual's right of privacy, or any
company's proprietary information, and the commissioner has not
demonstrated that the disclosure would impair any vital governmental
function, the receivership estate, or the receiver's ability to manage
the estate.
(4) The confidentiality and privilege of documents, materials or
other information obtained by the receiver set forth in subsections (1)
and (2) of this section does not apply to litigation to which the
insurer in receivership is a party. In such instances, discovery is
governed by the Washington rules of civil procedure.
Sec. 3 RCW 42.56.400 and 2009 c 104 s 23 are each amended to read
as follows:
The following information relating to insurance and financial
institutions is exempt from disclosure under this chapter:
(1) Records maintained by the board of industrial insurance appeals
that are related to appeals of crime victims' compensation claims filed
with the board under RCW 7.68.110;
(2) Information obtained and exempted or withheld from public
inspection by the health care authority under RCW 41.05.026, whether
retained by the authority, transferred to another state purchased
health care program by the authority, or transferred by the authority
to a technical review committee created to facilitate the development,
acquisition, or implementation of state purchased health care under
chapter 41.05 RCW;
(3) The names and individual identification data of either all
owners or all insureds, or both, received by the insurance commissioner
under chapter 48.102 RCW;
(4) Information provided under RCW 48.30A.045 through 48.30A.060;
(5) Information provided under RCW 48.05.510 through 48.05.535,
48.43.200 through 48.43.225, 48.44.530 through 48.44.555, and 48.46.600
through 48.46.625;
(6) Examination reports and information obtained by the department
of financial institutions from banks under RCW 30.04.075, from savings
banks under RCW 32.04.220, from savings and loan associations under RCW
33.04.110, from credit unions under RCW 31.12.565, from check cashers
and sellers under RCW 31.45.030(3), and from securities brokers and
investment advisers under RCW 21.20.100, all of which is confidential
and privileged information;
(7) Information provided to the insurance commissioner under RCW
48.110.040(3);
(8) Documents, materials, or information obtained by the insurance
commissioner under RCW 48.02.065, all of which are confidential and
privileged;
(9) Confidential proprietary and trade secret information provided
to the commissioner under RCW 48.31C.020 through 48.31C.050 and
48.31C.070;
(10) Data filed under RCW 48.140.020, 48.140.030, 48.140.050, and
7.70.140 that, alone or in combination with any other data, may reveal
the identity of a claimant, health care provider, health care facility,
insuring entity, or self-insurer involved in a particular claim or a
collection of claims. For the purposes of this subsection:
(a) "Claimant" has the same meaning as in RCW 48.140.010(2).
(b) "Health care facility" has the same meaning as in RCW
48.140.010(6).
(c) "Health care provider" has the same meaning as in RCW
48.140.010(7).
(d) "Insuring entity" has the same meaning as in RCW 48.140.010(8).
(e) "Self-insurer" has the same meaning as in RCW 48.140.010(11);
(11) Documents, materials, or information obtained by the insurance
commissioner under RCW 48.135.060;
(12) Documents, materials, or information obtained by the insurance
commissioner under RCW 48.37.060;
(13) Confidential and privileged documents obtained or produced by
the insurance commissioner and identified in RCW 48.37.080;
(14) Documents, materials, or information obtained by the insurance
commissioner under RCW 48.37.140;
(15) Documents, materials, or information obtained by the insurance
commissioner under RCW 48.17.595; ((and))
(16) Documents, materials, or information obtained by the insurance
commissioner under RCW 48.102.051(1) and 48.102.140 (3) and (7)(a)(ii);
and
(17) Documents, materials, or information obtained by the insurance
commissioner in the commissioner's capacity as receiver under sections
1 and 2 of this act, which are records under the jurisdiction and
control of the receivership court. The commissioner is not required to
search for, log, produce, or otherwise comply with the public records
act for any records that the commissioner obtains under chapters 48.31
and 48.99 RCW in the commissioner's capacity as a receiver, except as
directed by the receivership court."
Correct the title.
EFFECT: Removes language stating that the records received by the Commissioner while acting as a receiver are not public records. Adds language that puts these records under the control of the receivership court. Provides an exception to any confidentiality or privilege related to the records in relation to any litigation to which the insurer in receivership is a party. Provides that in those circumstances where the insurer in receivership is a party to litigation, the rules of civil procedure are the controlling authority. States that the Commissioner is not required to comply with the requirements of the Public Records Act regarding records that are obtained by the Commissioner while acting as a receiver but are under the control of a receivership court, unless ordered to do so by the receivership court.