Declarations – South Central

Not Elected

“We implement public policy. We don’t make public policy. No one elected us to anything.”

—Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman comments on the role of insurance regulators in her state. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Texas Surplus Lines Association in Austin, Kitzman said “the job of the insurance department to administer the insurance code as it is written.” She said she would seek clarity from lawmakers in the coming legislative session on what the public policy in the state is concerning insurance issues brought before TDI for rulemaking.

Goodwill Hunting

“There’s not going to be a lot of goodwill on the Hill. … The party lines will be hardened after this election.”

—Princeton University history professor Julian Zelizer said President Obama’s re-election victory will not strike fear in the hearts of Republicans, who remain in control of the House of Representatives. Democrats held on to the Senate, but fewer moderates of either party will be in the mix. Zelizer said the result is a recipe for more gridlock and white-knuckle showdowns over taxes and spending. Reaching consensus on even the most routine legislation will be difficult, he said.

No Quacking Duck

“Odds are against a five-year farm bill in the lame duck (session) unless it’s part of a budget agreement.”

—Pat Westhoff of the think tank Food and Agricultural Policy Research, based at the University of Missouri, said, referring to the likelihood that lawmakers will be unable to break their deadlock over enacting a five-year, $500 billion farm bill covering a wide range of agricultural policy from food stamps to crop subsidies and soil conservation.