Florida Senate - 2013                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 356
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 974786                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: WD            .                                
                  04/01/2013           .                                
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       The Committee on Commerce and Tourism (Abruzzo) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 53 and 54
    4  insert:
    5         Section 3. Subsection (7) of section 617.01401, Florida
    6  Statutes, is amended to read:
    7         617.01401 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term:
    8         (7) “Distribution” means the payment of a dividend or any
    9  part of the income or profit of a corporation to its members,
   10  directors, or officers.
   11         (a) A donation or transfer of corporate assets or income to
   12  or from another not-for-profit corporation qualified as tax
   13  exempt under s. 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code or a
   14  governmental organization exempt from federal and state income
   15  taxes, if such corporation or governmental organization is a
   16  member of the corporation making such donation or transfer, is
   17  not a distribution for purposes of this chapter.
   18         (b) A dividend or distribution by a not-for-profit
   19  insurance company subsidiary to its mutual insurance holding
   20  company organized under part III of chapter 628, directly or
   21  indirectly through one or more intermediate holding companies
   22  authorized under that part, is not a distribution for the
   23  purposes of this chapter.
   24         Section 4. Subsection (5) is added to section 628.371,
   25  Florida Statutes, to read:
   26         628.371 Dividends to stockholders.—
   27         (5) A dividend or distribution by a not-for-profit
   28  insurance company subsidiary to its mutual insurance holding
   29  company, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediate
   30  holding companies, pursuant to part III of this chapter, which
   31  meets the requirements of this section and which apply to a
   32  stock insurer, is permitted under this section.
   33         Section 5. Section 628.703, Florida Statutes, is reordered
   34  and amended to read:
   35         628.703 Definitions.—For purposes of this part:
   36         (2)(1) “Mutual insurance holding company” means an
   37  incorporated entity without permanent capital stock which that
   38  is organized under this part and whose members are determined in
   39  accordance with this part.
   40         (5)(2) “Subsidiary insurance company” means:
   41         (a)A stock insurance company, of which the majority of the
   42  voting shares of the capital stock of which are at all times
   43  owned by a mutual insurance holding company. As used in For
   44  purposes of this part, the term “majority of the voting shares
   45  of the capital stock” means the shares of the capital stock of
   46  such company which carry the right to cast a majority of the
   47  votes entitled to be cast by all of the outstanding shares of
   48  the capital stock for the election of directors. The ownership
   49  of a majority of the voting shares of the capital stock of a
   50  former mutual reorganized insurance company which are required
   51  by this part to be at all times owned by a mutual insurance
   52  holding company includes indirect ownership through one or more
   53  intermediate holding companies. However, indirect ownership
   54  through one or more intermediate holding companies may shall not
   55  result in a mutual insurance holding company owning less than
   56  the equivalent of a majority of the voting shares of the capital
   57  stock of the former mutual reorganized insurance company; or
   58         (b) A not-for-profit insurance company or nonprofit health
   59  care plan, of which the majority of the voting membership
   60  interests are at all times owned by a mutual insurance holding
   61  company, which entitles the mutual insurance holding company to
   62  elect the board of directors of the not-for-profit insurance
   63  company or nonprofit health care plan. This also applies to the
   64  indirect ownership of the not-for-profit insurance company or
   65  nonprofit health care plan through one or more intermediate
   66  holding companies. A not-for-profit insurance company subsidiary
   67  resulting from reorganization into a not-for-profit mutual
   68  insurance company under this part, or which is subsequently
   69  organized as an additional subsidiary insurance company of the
   70  holding company, is subject to the Florida Insurance Code and
   71  chapter 617 applies to the organization of such company.
   72         (1)(3) “Intermediate holding company” means:
   73         (a) A holding company that which is a subsidiary of a
   74  mutual insurance holding company, and which directly or through
   75  a subsidiary intermediate holding company owns a majority of the
   76  voting shares of the capital stock of one or more subsidiary
   77  insurance companies; or
   78         (b) A holding company that is a not-for-profit corporation
   79  and a subsidiary of a mutual insurance holding company, of which
   80  a majority of the voting membership interests entitled to elect
   81  the board of directors of such corporation are owned, directly
   82  or through a subsidiary intermediate holding company, by the
   83  mutual insurance holding company.
   84         (3)“Nonprofit health care plan” means a not-for-profit
   85  domestic or foreign hospital or medical and surgical service
   86  plan or corporation that is licensed in one or more states,
   87  issues no capital stock, and is engaged in the business of
   88  providing prepaid indemnity or health care benefits.
   89         (4) “Paid premiums” means all premiums paid for insurance
   90  by a member of a mutual insurance holding company to a
   91  subsidiary insurance company.
   92         Section 6. Subsection (5) of section 628.707, Florida
   93  Statutes, is amended to read:
   94         628.707 Applicability of general corporation statutes.—The
   95  applicable statutes of this state relating to the powers and
   96  procedures of domestic private corporations formed for profit
   97  shall apply to domestic mutual insurance holding companies,
   98  except:
   99         (5) In the case of the reorganization of a any mutual
  100  insurance company organized as a not-for-profit nonprofit
  101  corporation under chapter 617, a mutual insurance holding
  102  company organized under this part shall be deemed to be a not
  103  for-profit nonprofit corporation.
  104         Section 7. Subsection (1) of section 628.715, Florida
  105  Statutes, is amended to read:
  106         628.715 Merger and acquisitions.—Subject to applicable
  107  requirements of this chapter, a mutual insurance holding company
  108  may:
  109         (1)(a) Merge or consolidate with, or acquire the assets of,
  110  a mutual insurance holding company licensed pursuant to this
  111  part act or any similar entity organization pursuant to laws of
  112  any other state;
  113         (b) Either alone or together with one or more intermediate
  114  stock holding companies, or other subsidiaries, directly or
  115  indirectly acquire the stock of a stock insurance company or a
  116  mutual insurance company that reorganizes under this part act or
  117  the law of its state of organization;
  118         (c) Together with one or more of its stock insurance
  119  company subsidiaries, acquire the assets of a stock insurance
  120  company or a mutual insurance company, or the membership
  121  interests of a not-for-profit insurance company or nonprofit
  122  health care plan;
  123         (d) Acquire a stock insurance company through the merger of
  124  the such stock insurance subsidiary with a stock insurance
  125  company or interim stock insurance company subsidiary of the
  126  mutual insurance holding company, or acquire a not-for-profit
  127  insurance company or nonprofit health care plan through the
  128  merger of such entities with a mutual insurance company, or with
  129  a not-for-profit insurance company subsidiary of the mutual
  130  insurance holding company or intermediate holding company;
  131         (e) Acquire the stock or assets of any other person to the
  132  same extent as would be permitted for any not-for-profit
  133  corporation under chapter 617 or, if the mutual insurance
  134  holding company writes insurance, a mutual insurance company;
  135         (f) Jointly, with a domestic or foreign mutual insurance
  136  company that which redomesticates pursuant to s. 628.520, file
  137  an application with the office, pursuant to the provisions of
  138  this part, to merge the domestic or foreign mutual insurance
  139  company policyholder’s membership interests into the mutual
  140  insurance holding company. The reorganizing mutual insurance
  141  company may merge with the mutual insurance holding company’s
  142  stock subsidiary or continue its corporate existence as a
  143  domestic stock insurance company subsidiary. The members of the
  144  foreign mutual insurance company may approve in a
  145  contemporaneous vote both the redomestication plan and the
  146  agreement for merger and reorganization; or
  147         (g) Merge or consolidate with, or acquire the assets of, a
  148  domestic or foreign reciprocal insurance company, a group self
  149  insurance fund, or any other similar entity.
  150         Section 8. Subsection (1) of section 628.727, Florida
  151  Statutes, is amended to read:
  152         628.727 Membership.—
  153         (1) Membership in a mutual insurance holding company shall
  154  be determined in accordance with the mutual insurance holding
  155  company’s articles of incorporation and bylaws and shall be
  156  based upon each member holding a policy of insurance with a
  157  subsidiary insurance company or a health maintenance contract
  158  with a subsidiary health maintenance organization. Group
  159  certificateholders may also be members of the mutual insurance
  160  holding company if specified in the bylaws. The articles of
  161  incorporation and bylaws may provide for one or more classes of
  162  members and may restrict the voting or other rights of a class
  163  of policyholders of a nonprofit health care plan from receiving
  164  distributions pursuant to this chapter if the assets of the
  165  nonprofit health care plan may not be treated as assets
  166  available for distribution.
  167  
  168  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  169         And the title is amended as follows:
  170         Delete lines 2 - 5
  171  and insert:
  172         An act relating to mutual insurance corporations;
  173         amending ss. 627.971 and 627.972, F.S.; providing that
  174         such corporations include licensed mutual insurers as
  175         well as licensed stock insurers; amending s.
  176         617.01401, F.S.; revising the definition of the term
  177         “distribution” to exclude a not-for-profit insurance
  178         company subsidiary from ch. 617, F.S., relating to
  179         non-for-profit corporations; amending s. 628.371,
  180         F.S.; providing that certain dividends or
  181         distributions by a not-for-profit insurance company to
  182         its mutual insurance holding company which meet
  183         certain requirements are permitted under pt. I of ch.
  184         628, F.S., relating to stock and mutual insurers;
  185         amending s. 628.703 F.S.; amending definitions
  186         relating to mutual insurance holding companies to add
  187         provisions for not-for-profit insurance companies and
  188         nonprofit health care plans; amending s. 628.707,
  189         F.S.; conforming terminology; amending s. 628.715,
  190         F.S.; adding not-for-profit insurance companies and
  191         nonprofit health plans to provisions relating to
  192         mergers and acquisitions; amending s. 628.727, F.S.;
  193         authorizing the articles of incorporation and bylaws
  194         of a mutual insurance holding company to restrict
  195         certain rights of policyholders to receive
  196         distributions;