HOUSE BILL No. 4031

 

January 27, 2005, Introduced by Rep. Vagnozzi and referred to the Committee on Insurance.

 

     A bill to amend 1956 PA 218, entitled

 

"The insurance code of 1956,"

 

by amending section 2210 (MCL 500.2210), as amended by 1998 PA 222.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 2210. (1) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Employee benefit plan" means that term as defined by the

 

employee retirement income security act of 1974,  Public Law 93-

 

406, 88 Stat. 829  29 USC 1001 to 1461.

 

     (b) "Employer" means an individual, sole proprietorship,

 

partnership, firm, corporation, association, or any other legal

 

entity  , which  that has 1 or more employees and is legally doing

 

business in this state.

 

     (c) "Trust" means a trust established by an employer.

 


     (2) Notwithstanding any other section of this act, an employer

 

or a trust has an insurable interest in, and may, with the written

 

consent of the insured, insure on an individual or group basis for

 

its benefit the lives of the employer's directors, officers, or

 

managers.  , nonmanagement employees, and retired employees.  An

 

employer or a trust  may  shall not insure the lives of the

 

employer's nonmanagement employees and its retired employees.  only

 

if those persons give written consent to be insured and the

 

coverage is limited to an amount reasonably commensurate with the

 

employer's projected unfunded liabilities to nonmanagement and

 

retired employees for employee benefit plans, calculated according

 

to accepted actuarial principles.  An employer shall not retaliate

 

in any manner against an employee  or a retired employee  for

 

refusing consent to be insured.

 

     (3) Notwithstanding any other section of this act, a trust

 

maintained for the purpose of providing for the cost of benefits

 

under an employee benefit plan maintained for employees or retired

 

employees has an insurable interest in, and may, with the

 

acquiescence of the insured, insure on an individual or group basis

 

for its benefit the lives of the employer's directors, officers, or

 

managers.  , nonmanagement employees, and retired employees.  A

 

trust  may  shall not insure the life of a nonmanagement employee  

 

and  or a retired employee.  only if that person is given written

 

notice of the coverage, he or she has not notified either the

 

employer or the trust in writing that he or she does not want to be

 

insured for the coverage, and the coverage is limited to an amount

 

reasonably commensurate with the employer's projected unfunded

 


liabilities to nonmanagement and retired employees for employee

 

benefit plans, calculated according to accepted actuarial

 

principles.  An employer or a trust shall not retaliate in any

 

manner against an employee  or a retired employee  for providing

 

the written notice that he or she does not want to be insured for

 

the coverage.

 

     (4) The proceeds of any policy or certificate issued pursuant

 

to subsection (2) or (3) are exempt from the claims of any creditor

 

or dependent of the insured.