ZIEGENHORN TO OVERSEE HOUSE INSURANCE PANEL

JEFFERSON CITY - Rep. Dennis Ziegenhorn of Sikeston has been named to head the Missouri House of Representatives Committee on Insurance.

The committee is considered one of the most important in the General Assembly and handles all bills relating to the state's massive insurance industry that come before the House.

"I'm real excited about having this opportunity," Ziegenhorn said Monday night. "It will be a lot of work but I will work hard and try to do a good job."

Ziegenhorn takes over the committee from former Rep. Dewey Crump of Maryland Heights, who was chairman for eight years. Last fall Crump was found guilty of several felony drug charges. It has also been disclosed that Crump was on the payroll of insurance companies as a consultant while serving as chairman, and often urged insurance companies to buy expensive meals for committee members.

Ziegenhorn, whose style is much less flamboyant than Crump's, said he does not intend to dwell on the past. "I'm not here to talk about Dewey and what he did," said the sixth-term Democrat. "I want to talk about what I plan to do with the insurance committee."

One of his goals as chairman of the committee, Ziegenhorn said, will be to get bills passed that do not have a lot of amendments and are simple to understand.

"Dewey tried to please too many people sometimes. You don't have to address every issue in one bill," said Ziegenhorn. "That makes it hard for people on the floor to vote, if you have one big bill. My goal is to try and get out simple and meaningful bills."

Not only has the committee been overshadowed by Crump's problems, but it also will have to deal with a number of major issues in the 1991 session. The solvency of insurance companies is becoming a major issue nationwide in light of the downturn in the economy; health insurance is an ongoing concern; and the General Assembly this year will have to pass enabling legislation to create a new Department of Insurance approved by voters last year.

Ziegenhorn agreed there are problems, but said he is not going to be overwhelmed by them. "I'm not going to make it a massive task. There are a lot of pressing problems, but nothing that we just have to rush into without careful thought," he said.

"My number one concern is getting with the commissioner of insurance to see what we need to do to get the new department going," said Ziegenhorn. "Then, I want to sit down with agents in the field and see how we can help the consumer. We want to keep rates down as much as possible, and then want to be sure if people pay premiums there is enough money on hand to pay claims."

Ziegenhorn has a real estate office in Sikeston and has sold some insurance. He said he receives about $5,000 a year in premiums from insurance he has sold.