Dec. 6, 2023
Salem – Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) Director and Insurance Commissioner Andrew R. Stolfi was awarded the Bonnie Burns Excellence in Consumer Advocacy Award by consumer representatives to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
Stolfi was given the award Nov. 30 at the NAIC fall national meeting. Stolfi chairs the NAIC's Consumer Liaison Committee, which provides a forum for consumer views on insurance regulatory issues at the NAIC. He also serves as chair of the NAIC's Consumer Board of Trustees.
The Bonnie Burns Excellence in Consumer Advocacy Award recognizes the state regulator who NAIC consumer representatives believe has most effectively represented and advanced the interests of consumers in NAIC proceedings. Stolfi has championed reform measures designed to maximize the value of Consumer Liaison Committee meetings and provide for meaningful interactions between regulators and NAIC consumer representatives.
“Commissioner Stolfi has been open, transparent, and committed to a participatory process in lifting up consumer voices and concerns at the NAIC," said NAIC Consumer Representative Wayne Turner, a senior attorney for the National Health Law Program. “He embodies the principle that consumer protection is the core of state insurance regulation."
Transparency, public engagement, and consumer protection are hallmarks of Stolfi's service as Oregon insurance commissioner. For example, DCBS conducted a comprehensive review of insurer compliance with Oregon's Reproductive Health Equity Act. The department
publicly posted detailed reports, explanatory materials, insurer responses, corrective action plans, and consumer resources to address noncompliance and ensure that Oregon residents have full access to health services they are entitled to under the law.
“My name may be on this award, but I share this honor with all of the employees of DCBS who strive every day to better the lives of people in Oregon," Stolfi said. “Consumer protection and empowering the consumer voice are key pillars of our jobs, which makes this recognition so incredibly meaningful. I also couldn't be more thrilled to receive an award from and in the name of Bonnie Burns, who is quite simply a consumer advocacy legend."
DCBS continues to provide
crucial support to Oregon residents affected by the catastrophic 2020 wildfires. The department has also prioritized the fair treatment of consumers in the purchase and pricing of auto insurance through recent legislative proposals that would end unfair discrimination by eliminating the use of non-driving-related socioeconomic factors in auto insurance. Also, the department has worked to enhance consumer disclosures on homeowners' insurance policies for cancellations and non-renewals through recently passed Senate Bill 82 (2023).
“Oregon Consumer Justice congratulates Commissioner Stolfi on this well-deserved award," said Oregon Consumer Justice Executive Director Jagjit Nagra. “We appreciate Commissioner Stolfi's leadership covering a wide range of consumer protection initiatives that put people first. His persistence over several legislative sessions to address racial and gender discrimination embedded in auto insurance pricing is admirable. We look forward to continued partnership with Commissioner Stolfi and his team on issues impacting Oregon consumers."
About the award
The Bonnie Burns Excellence in Consumer Advocacy Award is given to a state insurance regulator who has most effectively represented and advanced the interests of consumers in NAIC. In 2022, consumer representatives renamed the award after longtime advocate Bonnie Burns. Burns is a nationally recognized expert on Medicare Supplement insurance (Medigap) and long-term care insurance, and currently serves as a consultant with California Health Advocates (CHA) and the national SHIP Resource Center. She has served as a NAIC consumer representative since the beginning of the program in 1992 and has served multiple terms on the board of the program.
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The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon's largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. Visit
dcbs.oregon.gov.