SENATE BILL No. 1385

 

 

September 14, 2004, Introduced by Senator BIRKHOLZ and referred to the Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1951 PA 35, entitled                                              

                                                                                

    "An act to authorize intergovernmental contracts between                    

    municipal corporations; to authorize any municipal corporation to           

    contract with any person or any municipal corporation to furnish            

    any lawful municipal service to property outside the corporate              

    limits of the first municipal corporation for a consideration; to           

    prescribe certain penalties; to authorize contracts between                 

    municipal corporations and with certain nonprofit public                    

    transportation corporations to form group self-insurance pools;             

    and to prescribe conditions for the performance of those                    

    contracts,"                                                                 

                                                                                

    by amending section 5 (MCL 124.5), as amended by 1999 PA 83.                

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 5.  (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to                  

                                                                                

2   the contrary, any 2 or more municipal corporations, by                      

                                                                                

3   intergovernmental contract, may form a group self-insurance pool            

                                                                                

4   to provide for joint or cooperative action relative to their                

                                                                                

5   financial and administrative resources for the purpose of                   

                                                                                

6   providing to the participating municipal corporations risk                  

                                                                                

7   management and coverage for pool members and employees of pool              


                                                                                

1   members, for acts or omissions arising out of the scope of their            

                                                                                

2   employment, including any or all of the following:                          

                                                                                

3       (a) Casualty insurance, including general and professional                  

                                                                                

4   liability coverage.                                                         

                                                                                

5       (b) Property insurance, including marine insurance and inland               

                                                                                

6   navigation and transportation insurance coverage.                           

                                                                                

7       (c) Automobile insurance, including motor vehicle liability                 

                                                                                

8   insurance coverage and security for motor vehicles owned or                 

                                                                                

9   operated, as required by section 3101 of the insurance code of              

                                                                                

10  1956, 1956 PA 218, MCL 500.3101, and protection against other               

                                                                                

11  liability and loss associated with the ownership of motor                   

                                                                                

12  vehicles.                                                                   

                                                                                

13      (d) Surety and fidelity insurance coverage.                                 

                                                                                

14      (e) Umbrella and excess insurance coverages.                                

                                                                                

15      (f) Hospital, medical, surgical, or dental insurance                        

                                                                                

16  coverage.                                                                   

                                                                                

17      (2) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a group                

                                                                                

18  self-insurance pool may not provide for hospital, medical,                  

                                                                                

19  surgical, or dental benefits to the employees of the member                 

                                                                                

20  municipalities in the pool except when those benefits arise from            

                                                                                

21  the obligations and responsibilities of the pool in providing               

                                                                                

22  automobile insurance coverage, including motor vehicle liability            

                                                                                

23  insurance coverage and security for motor vehicles owned or                 

                                                                                

24  operated, as required by section 3101 of the insurance code of              

                                                                                

25  1956, 1956 PA 218, MCL 500.3101, and protection against other               

                                                                                

26  liability and loss associated with the ownership of motor                   

                                                                                

27  vehicles.  This subsection does not preclude municipal                      


                                                                                

1   corporations from forming a multiple employer welfare arrangement           

                                                                                

2   under chapter 70 of the insurance code of 1956, 1956 PA 218, MCL            

                                                                                

3   500.7001 to 500.7090, for hospital, medical, surgical, or dental            

                                                                                

4   benefits.                                                                   

                                                                                

5       (2)  (3)  A group self-insurance pool may assume, cede, and                 

                                                                                

6   sell risk for coverages set forth in subsection (1).  If a group            

                                                                                

7   self-insurance pool obtains reinsurance, the reinsurance contract           

                                                                                

8   shall be made available to the commissioner upon request.  If the           

                                                                                

9   reinsurance contract is not available to the group self-insurance           

                                                                                

10  pool, the group self-insurance pool shall provide the                       

                                                                                

11  commissioner with written documentation of coverage as is                   

                                                                                

12  requested by the commissioner.                                              

                                                                                

13      (3)  (4)  A group self-insurance pool, for the purposes of                  

                                                                                

14  carrying on the business of the group self-insurance pool whether           

                                                                                

15  or not a body corporate, shall have the power to sue and be sued;           

                                                                                

16  to make contracts; to hold and dispose of real and personal                 

                                                                                

17  property; and to borrow money, contract debts, and pledge assets            

                                                                                

18  in the name of the group self-insurance pool.                               

                                                                                

19      (4)  (5)  In addition to any other powers granted by this                   

                                                                                

20  act, the power to enter into intergovernmental contracts under              

                                                                                

21  this section specifically includes the power to establish the               

                                                                                

22  pool as a separate legal or administrative entity for purposes of           

                                                                                

23  effectuating group self-insurance pool agreements.                          

                                                                                

24      (5)  (6)  The legislature  hereby  finds and determines that                

                                                                                

25  insurance protection is essential to the proper functioning of              

                                                                                

26  municipal corporations; that the resources of municipal                     

                                                                                

27  corporations are burdened by the securing of insurance protection           


                                                                                

1   through standards carriers; that proper risk management requires            

                                                                                

2   spreading risk to minimize fluctuation in insurance needs; and              

                                                                                

3   that  , therefore,  all contributions of financial and                      

                                                                                

4   administrative resources made by a municipal corporation                    

                                                                                

5   pursuant to  under an intergovernmental contract authorized                

                                                                                

6   under this act are made for a public and governmental purpose,              

                                                                                

7   and that those contributions benefit each contributing municipal            

                                                                                

8   corporation.                                                                

                                                                                

9       (6)  (7)  Two or more municipal corporations shall not form a               

                                                                                

10  group self-insurance pool to provide the coverages described in             

                                                                                

11  subsection (1) other than  pursuant to  under sections 5 to 12b.