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| Affiliation | Republican |
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| Name | John W. Oxendine |
| Address | 5375 Chelsen Wood Dr
Johns Creek, Georgia 30096, United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | Wishful Thinking |
| Last Modifed | Bensq1
Oct 31, 2020 09:49am |
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| Info | John W. Oxendine is currently finishing his second term as the State of Georgia's Commissioner of Insurance. John was raised and educated in Dekalb County. He attended Mercer University in Macon where he triple majored in Political Science, Greek and Christianity, as well as earning a J.D. from the Mercer University School of Law.
After school, John relocated to Gwinnett County where he practiced law at the firm of Oxendine & Associates. In 1989, then Governor Joe Frank Harris appointed John to be chairman of State Personnel Board. Coming from a family rich in public service, John ran for the office of Insurance Commissioner in 1994 and in November of that year was elected to a four year term. In 1998 John won re-election to a second term receiving almost 60% of the votes cast in the race.
In addition to being Georgia's Insurance Commissioner John also serves as the state's Safety Fire Commissioner, Industrial Loan Commissioner and Comptroller General. His duties include regulating approximately 1,600 insurance companies; licensing some 65,000 insurance agents; and regulating 900 industrial loan offices (companies that make loans of $3,000 or less).
As Safety Fire Commissioner, John appoints the State Fire Marshal; assists local fire departments with investigations; regulates the manufactured housing industry; regulates explosives and hazardous materials; inspects and licenses racetracks; and inspects public buildings for compliance with the state fire code. The Commissioner also serves on the board of directors of Safe Kids of Georgia, a statewide organization whose mission is to reduce child fatalities from fire and other accidental causes.
Each year, the Safety Fire Division of Oxendine's office is responsible for investigating approximately 700 fires, inspecting 85,000 manufactured homes, and inspecting 12,000 public buildings for the state fire code compliance.
The following are some of Commissioner Oxendine's accomplishments in his first two terms.
Assistance to consumers -- Each year, his Consumer Services Division helps consumers retrieve millions in claims and premium refunds from insurance companies. Since Oxendine took office in 1995, this division has recovered more than $100 million for consumers. He added a toll-free number for Consumer Services Division (1-800-656-2298), and extended the hours of Consumer Services, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Commissioner also provides field representatives who visit consumers in each county outside metro Atlanta at least once a month.
Crackdown on fraud -- In his first year in office, Commissioner Oxendine acquired additional funding for the Insurance Fraud Unit, paid for by the insurance industry, and not using any taxpayer money. (The Georgia Legislature approved it in 1995; initial funding was approved by the '97 General Assembly for FY '98.)
With the funding, Commissioner Oxendine was able to increase the number of investigators from two to 12. In the second year of the new unit, arrests increased by more than 200 %, indictments increased by more than 100%, and convictions increased by more than 100%.
Reformed workers compensation coverage -- Regulatory reforms implemented under Commissioner Oxendine's direction has reduced the cost of workers compensation by 30 to 55 percent. Slashed the number of Georgia businesses in the Assigned Risk Plan and dramatically reduced the plans premium volume. His aim was to make the Assigned Risk Plan self-supporting in three years that goal was met ahead of schedule.
Improved fire safety in Georgia -- Through "Operation Safe Home" Oxendine has helped to distribute more than 125,000 smoke detectors to Georgia homes. He reinstated an Arson Unit as part of the State Fire Marshal's Office. The unit helps local law enforcement authorities throughout the state in determining the cause of suspicious fires; a previous administration had eliminated the unit. He also added a second specially trained canine team to Arson Unit, to enable them to provide better service throughout Georgia. And a fire safety education program implemented by Oxendine has helped reduce the number of fire-related deaths.
Downsizing the bureaucracy - Commissioner Oxendine has reduced the staff and budget of the Insurance Department while still meeting the needs of the state's citizens. He privatized the function of the Agents Licensing Division, which annually renews the licenses of 65,000 agents. Resulting in reducing the turnaround time for renewing and issuing licenses from six weeks to three days.
Health care reform -- Working with the legislature, Oxendine has improved the availability of health insurance. A year before the passage of federal health care reform, Kassebaum-Kennedy, Georgia had already implemented a majority of its provisions through our portability laws. These laws allow individuals to pass from job to job without fear of losing their health coverage.
Perhaps Commissioner Oxendine's greatest accomplishment is his ten year old son J.W., who is a fourth grader at Greater Atlanta Christian School. They live in Gwinnett County and are both active in the Boy Scouts of America. The Oxendine's worship at the Cathedral of St. Philip Episcopal Church in Atlanta.
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