N.D. State Rep. Schneider Will Run for Insurance Commissioner

An attorney and state lawmaker from Fargo says he would fight for consumers and keep their protection at the forefront if he’s elected North Dakota insurance commissioner.

State Rep. Jasper Schneider, D-Fargo, announced his candidacy first in Fargo and then in Bismarck.

Schneider, 28, who was elected to the state legislature last year, said his priorities would be workforce safety and insurance reform, and better access to affordable health care, particularly for children. About 15,000 children in the state are without health insurance, he said.

“I can’t imagine the difficult decisions that those parents of those 15,000 children have to make,” Schneider said.

Adam Hamm, a Republican who is the current commissioner, said he intends to run for the office and plans to make an official announcement within the next two months.

Gov. John Hoeven appointed Hamm to the post in October to replace Jim Poolman, who resigned Sept. 1. Poolman left to become an insurance industry consultant.

Hamm will serve out the remainder of Poolman’s term, which ends in December 2008. The job pays $76,511 annually.

Schneider said he would work with WSI, the legislature, employers and injured workers to reform and restore WSI accountability, calling it “an agency that, frankly, doesn’t have any.”

U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., introduced Schneider and called him a “talented leader” who would bring competence and integrity to the job. Pomeroy served as North Dakota insurance commissioner from 1984 to 1992.