Report: Senate May Reject Texas Insurance Commissioner

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Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman could have trouble winning Senate confirmation to keep her job, as Democrats with enough votes to defeat her nomination question her credentials.

Appointed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry in 2011 between legislative sessions, Kitzman now faces a formal confirmation process. She will need support of two-thirds of the full Senate for confirmation.

Several Democrats have questioned her leadership and her past ties to the insurance industry, the Austin American-Statesman reported. At least one Republican, Sen. Bob Deuell of Greenville, said he didn’t “think the votes are there to confirm her.”

Kitzman told the newspaper she wanted to talk to each senator and correct any misconceptions.

“I’m aware there are some members that have a view about certain things.” she said. “And some of those views may be pretty entrenched. Others are, I think, based on – let’s say – less than the whole story on some things. And I just want to give them an opportunity to, like I say, have complete information and make an informed decision.”

Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, said Kitzman has “serious problems” and accuses her of not protecting consumers enough. State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, accused Kitzman of being beholden to consultants, as fees paid to a New York-based firm have passed $1.5 million.

“I just think you’ve kind of, really lost control,” Whitmire told Kitzman at a Senate Finance Committee hearing. “Or maybe you’re very much in control of the use of consultants.”

Kitzman denies any bias toward the insurance industry. “If you look at everything that has been done, you can’t say that there’s any evidence that I made a decision because I have some relationship with or bias toward the industry,” she told the newspaper.

Kitzman isn’t without allies, according to the American-Statesman’s report. Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, said most people in the insurance industry generally think Kitzman is doing a good job.