(a) By February 1, 2005, the commissioner shall submit to the Legislature a report relating to the office of the consumer advocate.
(b) The report shall contain the following information:
(1) An overview of the function of the office of the consumer advocacy and how the office addresses consumer complaints;
(2) The number of staff in the office of the consumer advocate and the structure of the existing office;
(3) Statistics reflecting the number of consumer complaints and types handled by the office from January 1, 2001, until January 1, 2004;
(4) The number of states which have consumer advocates and the lines of insurance for which the advocates are authorized to act on behalf of consumers;
(5) The recommendation of the commissioner in regard to whether this state would benefit by having the role of the consumer advocate expanded to other lines of insurance;
(6) Based upon the findings and recommendations, of the commissioner, and if the findings so suggest, proposed legislation for expanding the office of the consumer advocate to other lines of insurance.
Structure West Virginia Code
Article 2. Insurance Commissioner
§33-2-1. Office Continued; Appointment, Qualifications and Term
§33-2-2. Compensation and Expenses of Commissioner and Employees; Location of Office
§33-2-3. Duties of the Commissioner; Employment of Legal Counsel
§33-2-3a. Administrative Investigations
§33-2-4. Authority to Take Depositions, Subpoena Witnesses, etc.
§33-2-6. Service of Subpoena; Compelling Compliance
§33-2-8. Insured to Produce Records Upon Request
§33-2-9. Examination of Insurers, Agents, Brokers and Solicitors; Access to Books, Records, etc.
§33-2-9a. Imposing a One-Time Assessment on All Insurance Carriers
§33-2-10. Rules and Regulations
§33-2-10a. Insurance Emergencies -- Suspension of Deadlines
§33-2-11. Enforcement of Orders; Revocation of Licenses; Court Action
§33-2-15. Annual Report by Commissioner
§33-2-15a. Annual Flood Insurance Communication to Public Entities by Commissioner
§33-2-15b. Reports to the Legislature
§33-2-15c. Reports to the Legislature
§33-2-15d. Report to the Legislature
§33-2-17. Office of Consumer Advocacy
§33-2-19. Confidentiality of Information
§33-2-21a. State Agency Workers' Compensation Programs
§33-2-23. Transfer of Assets of the State Office of the National Flood Insurance Program