House passes “Oxendine” license bill

Atlanta – The House’s 155-0 vote came less than two weeks after the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that outgoing Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine granted himself several agent and adjuster licenses the day before he left office in January. He used an insurance agency rule to exempt himself from mandatory education and testing requirements.

Rep. Bill Hembree, R-Winston, an insurance agent, sponsored the bill to outlaw the practice, saying it was unfair to the thousands of Georgians who must pass tests to get licenses.

The Senate is considering a wider-ranging bill that would keep all state agency officials who issue professional licenses from waiving education and testing requirements for themselves