NY State Senate Bill 2015-S7638

Senate Bill S7638

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Creates a temporary state commission to study and investigate the legality of the 2006 merger of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York and Group Health Incorporated; appropriation

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 11, 2016	referred to finance

2015-S7638 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Appropriations
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: S2973
2019-2020: S646
2021-2022: S6139

2015-S7638 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Creates a temporary state commission to study and investigate the legality of the 2006 merger of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York and Group Health Incorporated; appropriates $250,000 therefor.

2015-S7638 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S7638

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to create a temporary state commission to
study and investigate the legality of the 2006 merger of the Health
Insurance Plan of Greater New York and Group Health Incorporated;
making an appropriation therefor; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof

 PURPOSE :

Creates a temporary state commission to study and investigate the
legality of the 2006 merger of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater
New York and Group Health Incorporated.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1. Creates a temporary state commission to study the 2006
merger of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP) and
Group Health Incorporated (GHI) and analyze the legality of the
transaction.

Section 2. Establishes that the commission shall consist of fifteen
members who are knowledgeable on mergers, acquisitions, insurance, or
related matters.

Section 3. Establishes that the members of the commission shall

receive no compensation but may be reimbursed for actual and necessary
expenses.

Section 4. Allows the commission to employ personnel it deems
necessary for the performance of its functions.

Section 5. Empowers the commission to undertake any studies,
inquiries, surveys, or analyses it deems relevant.

Section 6. Empowers the commission to receive from the State any
facilities, assistance, and data it deems necessary to the proper
execution of its duties.

Section 7. Calls upon the commission to report its findings and
recommendations to the Governor and Legislature.

Section 8. Allocates $250,000 for the purpose of carrying out the
provisions of this act. Section 9. Effective Date and Expiration Date.

 EXISTING LAW :

 JUSTIFICATION :

The 2006 merger of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York and
Group Health Incorporated has raised many questions about the legality
of the transaction. This bill would create a temporary state
commission to investigate the legality of these transactions and
report its findings to the Legislature and the Governor.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New Bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

Approximately $250,000.

 LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.

2015-S7638 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  7638

                            I N  S E N A T E

                              May 11, 2016
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  BOYLE  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

AN ACT to create a temporary state commission to study  and  investigate
  the legality of the 2006 merger of the Health Insurance Plan of Great-
  er  New  York  and  Group Health Incorporated; making an appropriation
  therefor; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expira-
  tion thereof

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. A temporary state commission is hereby created to study the
2006  merger  of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP) and
Group Health Incorporated (GHI). The commission  shall  investigate  and
make written determinations on the legality of these transactions.
  S  2.  (a) The commission shall consist of fifteen members as follows:
three members shall be appointed by the speaker of the  assembly;  three
members  shall  be  appointed  by the temporary president of the senate;
three members shall be appointed by the governor; two members  shall  be
appointed by the minority leader of the senate; and two members shall be
appointed  by  the minority leader of the assembly. Members so appointed
shall be knowledgeable on mergers, acquisitions, insurance,  or  related
matters.  The  remaining  members  shall  be  the heads of the following
departments or agencies or their respective designees: the department of
financial services and the attorney general. No person shall be a member
of such commission while such person is a member of the senate or assem-
bly. Any vacancy on such commission shall be filled in the  same  manner
as  the original appointment was made. The chairperson of the commission
shall be the head or designee of the attorney general.  The  vice-chair-
person of the commission shall be appointed by the chairperson.
  (b)  Except as provided in subdivision (a) of this section, no member,
officer or employee of the commission shall be disqualified from holding
any other public office or employment, nor shall he or she  forfeit  any
such office or employment by reason of his or her appointment hereunder,
notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  any general, special or local law,
ordinance or city charter.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                           LBD15111-03-6

S. 7638                             2

  S 3. The members of the commission shall receive no  compensation  for
their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses
incurred in the performance of their duties hereunder.
  S  4.  The commission may employ and at pleasure remove such personnel
as it may deem necessary for the performance of its  functions  and  fix
their  compensation  within  the amounts made available by appropriation
therefor.
  S 5. For the accomplishment of its purposes, the commission  shall  be
authorized and empowered to undertake any studies, inquiries, surveys or
analyses  it  may  deem relevant through its own personnel or in cooper-
ation with or by agreement with any other public or private agency. Such
commission shall meet and hold public hearings or private meetings with-
in or without the state, and shall have all the powers of a  legislative
committee pursuant to the legislative law.
  S  6.  The  commission may request and shall receive from any court in
the state and from any subdivision, department, board,  bureau,  commis-
sion,  office,  agency  or  other instrumentality of the state or of any
political subdivision thereof such facilities, assistance and data as it
deems necessary or desirable for the proper execution of its powers  and
duties and to effectuate the purposes set forth in this act.
  S 7. The commission shall make a report of its findings, including any
recommendations  for  legislative  action  as  it may deem necessary and
appropriate, to the governor and the legislature no later than  December
thirty-first  in  the  year  next  succeeding the year in which this act
shall have become a law.
  S 8. The sum of $250,000 or so much thereof as may  be  necessary,  is
hereby  appropriated  out  of  any  moneys  in the state treasury in the
general fund to the credit of the state purposes  account  for  services
and  expenses  of  this commission, not otherwise appropriated, and made
immediately available for the purpose of carrying out the provisions  of
this  act.  Such moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the
comptroller on vouchers certified or approved by the chair of the tempo-
rary commission established pursuant to this act.
  S 9. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  on  the
thirty-first  of  December next succeeding the year after such effective
date when upon such date the provisions of  this  act  shall  be  deemed
repealed.

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