North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance
| North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $112,241 |
| 2023-25 FY Budget: | $15,853,379 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | North Dakota Constitution, Article V, Section 2 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance
Jon Godfread | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 7, 2028 |
| Last election: | November 5, 2024 |
| Other North Dakota Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission • Tax Commissioner | |
The North Dakota Insurance Commissioner is an elected state executive position in the North Dakota state government. The commissioner is the head of the state Insurance Department.[1] The office oversees the state's insurance industry and provides consumer protection services.[2]
The commissioner serves a four-year term and is popularly elected during presidential election years.[3]
Current officeholder
The current officeholder is Jon Godfread (R).[4] He was elected to the position in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Goodread succeeded Adam Hamm (R) in the position.
Authority
The insurance commissioner's authority is derived from Article V, Section 2 of the North Dakota Constitution.
Article V, Section 2:
| The qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislative assembly shall choose a governor, lieutenant governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general, auditor, insurance commissioner, three public service commissioners, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, tax commissioner, and treasurer. ...[3] |
Qualifications
Article V, Section 4 of the North Dakota Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
| To be eligible to hold an elective office established by this article, a person must be a qualified elector of this state, must be at least twenty-five years of age on the day of the election, and must have been a resident of this state for the five years preceding election to office. ...[3] |
- Qualified North Dakota voter
- At least 25 years old
- A resident of North Dakota for at least five years preceding the election
Vacancies
Article V, Section 8 addresses vacancies in state executive offices. In the event of a vacancy, the governor appoints a successor. Once appointed, the individual serves the remainder of the unexpired term.[3] If a vacancy occurs within 95 days before a regularly-scheduled election for the position, the office must remain vacant.[5]
Duties
The commissioner is the head of the state Insurance Department.[1] The office oversees the state's insurance industry and provides consumer protection services.[2] The department enforces relevant laws and regulations, ensures competitive marketplaces, and addresses consumer fraud.[6] Additional duties include, but are not limited to:[6]
- Reporting any violation of insurance law to the attorney general;
- Filing the articles of incorporation of all insurance companies organized or doing business in the state;
- Submitting a biennial report to the secretary of state containing abstracts of the reports of the insurance companies doing business in the state;
- Managing, controlling, and supervising the state bonding, fire, and tornado funds; and
- Implementing a program to assist low-income individuals in gaining access to prescription medications through prescription drug assistance programs.
Elections
North Dakota elects insurance commissioners to four-year terms during presidential election years.[3]
2024
General election candidates
- Jon Godfread (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
Democratic primary candidates
No candidates filed for the Democratic Party primary.
Republican primary candidates
- Jon Godfread (Incumbent) ✔
2020
General election candidates
- Jon Godfread (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
- Travisia Martin (Democratic Party)
Democratic primary candidates
Republican primary candidates
- Jon Godfread (Incumbent) ✔
2016
The general election for insurance commissioner was held on November 8, 2016.
Jon Godfread defeated Ruth Buffalo and Nick Bata in the North Dakota insurance commissioner election.
| North Dakota Insurance Commissioner, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jon Godfread |
64.41% | 206,067 | |
| Democratic/Democrat-Nonpartisan League | Ruth Buffalo | 26.79% | 85,696 | |
| Libertarian | Nick Bata | 8.64% | 27,642 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.17% | 534 | ||
| Total Votes | 319,939 | |||
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Full history
To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance, click [show] to expand the section. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2012Incumbent Adam Hamm (R) won re-election in 2012. He defeated Tom Potter (D) in the November 6, 2012 general election.
2008On November 4, 2008, Adam Hamm won re-election to the office of North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance. He defeated Jasper Schneider (D-NPL) in the general election.
2004 On November 2, 2004, Jim Poolman won re-election to the office of North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance. He defeated Terry Barnes (D-NPL) in the general election.
2000 On November 7, 2000, Jim Poolman won election to the office of North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance. He defeated Gorman King, Jr. (D-NPL) in the general election.
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Divisions
The Insurance Department consists of the following divisions:[7]
- Administration: responsible for the budgeting, information technology, and human resources needs of the department.
- Producer Licensing: issues, renews, and processes producer licensing, agent appointments, and continuing-education filing reports.
- Consumer Assistance: assists consumers who need help with insurance or are having difficulty with their insurance providers and manages the Prescription Connection and State Health Insurance Counseling programs.
- Examination and Company Licensing: monitors the financial strength of insurance companies, performs periodic audits of state-based companies, and oversees the licensing of insurance companies.
- Legal: works with investigators to enforce applicable insurance laws and brings administrative actions against those who violate the laws.
- Product Filing: review policy forms to ensure the language complies with other state laws and evaluates premium rates to identify excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory rates.
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
State budget
- See also: North Dakota state budget and finances
The budget for the Insurance Department for the 2023-25 biennium was $15,853,379.[8]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
The North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance is legally entitled to an annual salary in accordance with Title 54 of the North Dakota Century Code.
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $112,241, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2021
In 2021, the commissioner received a salary of $110,582, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2020
In 2020, the commissioner received a salary of $107,885, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2019
In 2019, the commissioner received a salary of $127,561, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2018
In 2018, the commissioner received a salary of $105,770, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2017
In 2017, the commissioner received a salary of $105,768, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2016
In 2016, the commissioner received a salary of $102,687, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2015
In 2015, the commissioner received a salary of $99,696, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2014
In 2014, the commissioner received a salary of $96,793, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2013
In 2013, the commissioner received a salary of $93,070, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Physical Address:
600 E. Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, ND 58505-0320
Phone: 701-328-2440
Consumer hotline: 800-247-0560
TTY: 800-366-6888
Fax: 701-328-9610
Email: [email protected]
See also
| North Dakota | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 North Dakota Insurance Department, "About Us," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 North Dakota Insurance Department, "Mission," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 North Dakota Legislative Branch, "Constitution," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
- ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "Meet the Commissioner," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
- ↑ Justia, "Chapter 44-02," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Justia, "Chapter 26.1-01," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
- ↑ North Dakota Insurance Department, "Divisions," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
- ↑ North Dakota Legislature, "68th Legislative Assembly State Budget Actions for the 2023-25 Biennium," accessed December 6, 2023
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States," Sept. 30, 2020
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed Jan. 27, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed Jan. 27, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed December 3, 2017
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 4, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 27, 2014
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