Declarations

Insurance Commissioner Obscurity

“Without being too cynical, voters aren’t going to hear much about this office. I’m not sure a lot of people know what the insurance commissioner does.”

— Parke Skelton, a Democratic political consultant who worked on the campaigns for California’s Dave Jones, said the June 5 primary election won’t get much play in the media.

Inappropriate Behavior

“We just should not be holding taxpayers responsible for our inappropriate behavior.”

— Democratic state Sen. Laura Kelly, of Topeka, comments on a proposal by Kansas legislators to ban taxpayer-funded settlements of sexual harassment claims against state officials and block non-disclosure agreements in harassment cases.

Struggling to Cope

“I have struggled to cope with the effects of the repeated abuse I suffered at the hands of Dr. Nassar. USA Gymnastics, the USOC and the Karolyis failed to protect me and the other athletes in their care, and I believe they should be held accountable.”

— Former U.S. gymnast, 22-year-old Sabrina Vega, who has filed suit against Texas-based coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi and others saying they did not protect her from being sexually abused by imprisoned former sports doctor Larry Nassar.

Disaster Response

“Disaster response and business continuity plans should reflect the nature, scale and complexity of each insurer’s business, and these plans need to be updated at least annually.”

— New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) Superintendent Maria Vullo said regarding DFS issuing updated disaster response and recovery plan requirements for all insurance companies licensed to conduct business in New York state. It issued these updated requirements in light of disasters that may occur outside of New York, such as hurricanes, terrorist attacks or cybersecurity breaches, which could affect an insurer’s ability to serve New York consumers.