Bill Text: NY S06139 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: 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.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [S06139 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-S06139-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6139 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE April 12, 2021 ___________ 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: 1 Section 1. A temporary state commission is hereby created to study the 2 2006 merger of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP) and 3 Group Health Incorporated (GHI). The commission shall investigate and 4 make written determinations on the legality of these transactions. 5 § 2. (a) The commission shall consist of fifteen members as follows: 6 three members shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; three 7 members shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate; 8 three members shall be appointed by the governor; two members shall be 9 appointed by the minority leader of the senate; and two members shall be 10 appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. Members so appointed 11 shall be knowledgeable on mergers, acquisitions, insurance, or related 12 matters. The remaining members shall be the heads of the following 13 departments or agencies or their respective designees: the department of 14 financial services and the attorney general. No person shall be a member 15 of such commission while such person is a member of the senate or assem- 16 bly. Any vacancy on such commission shall be filled in the same manner 17 as the original appointment was made. The chairperson of the commission 18 shall be the head or designee of the attorney general. The vice-chair- 19 person of the commission shall be appointed by the chairperson. 20 (b) Except as provided in subdivision (a) of this section, no member, 21 officer or employee of the commission shall be disqualified from holding 22 any other public office or employment, nor shall he or she forfeit any EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD09832-01-1S. 6139 2 1 such office or employment by reason of his or her appointment hereunder, 2 notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special or local law, 3 ordinance or city charter. 4 § 3. The members of the commission shall receive no compensation for 5 their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses 6 incurred in the performance of their duties hereunder. 7 § 4. The commission may employ and at pleasure remove such personnel 8 as it may deem necessary for the performance of its functions and fix 9 their compensation within the amounts made available by appropriation 10 therefor. 11 § 5. For the accomplishment of its purposes, the commission shall be 12 authorized and empowered to undertake any studies, inquiries, surveys or 13 analyses it may deem relevant through its own personnel or in cooper- 14 ation with or by agreement with any other public or private agency. Such 15 commission shall meet and hold public hearings or private meetings with- 16 in or without the state, and shall have all the powers of a legislative 17 committee pursuant to the legislative law. 18 § 6. The commission may request and shall receive from any court in 19 the state and from any subdivision, department, board, bureau, commis- 20 sion, office, agency or other instrumentality of the state or of any 21 political subdivision thereof such facilities, assistance and data as it 22 deems necessary or desirable for the proper execution of its powers and 23 duties and to effectuate the purposes set forth in this act. 24 § 7. The commission shall make a report of its findings, including any 25 recommendations for legislative action as it may deem necessary and 26 appropriate, to the governor and the legislature no later than December 27 thirty-first in the year next succeeding the year in which this act 28 shall have become a law. 29 § 8. The sum of $250,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary, is 30 hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the state treasury in the 31 general fund to the credit of the state purposes account for services 32 and expenses of this commission, not otherwise appropriated, and made 33 immediately available for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of 34 this act. Such moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the 35 comptroller on vouchers certified or approved by the chair of the tempo- 36 rary commission established pursuant to this act. 37 § 9. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire on the 38 thirty-first of December next succeeding the year after such effective 39 date when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed 40 repealed.
