North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance

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North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance

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General information
Office Type:  Partisan
Office website:  Official Link
Compensation:  $107,885
2022 FY Budget:  $31,474,180
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
Republican Party
Assumed office: 2017-01-03

Elections
Next election:  November 5, 2024
Last election:  November 3, 2020
Other North Dakota Executive Offices
GovernorLieutenant GovernorSecretary of StateAttorney GeneralTreasurerAuditorSuperintendent of EducationAgriculture CommissionerInsurance CommissionerNatural Resources CommissionerLabor CommissionerPublic Service CommissionTax 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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

North Dakota state government organizational chart

North Dakota elects insurance commissioners to four-year terms during presidential election years.[3]

2020[edit]

See also: North Dakota Insurance Commissioner election, 2020

General election candidates

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

Republican Party Republican primary candidates


2016[edit]

See also: North Dakota Insurance Commissioner election, 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 Green check mark transparent.png 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[edit]


Divisions[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

See also: North Dakota state budget and finances

The budget for the Insurance Department in Fiscal Year 2022 was $31,474,180.[8]

Compensation[edit]

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.

2020[edit]

In 2020, the commissioner received a salary of $107,885, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]

2019[edit]

In 2019, the commissioner received a salary of $127,561, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]

2018[edit]

In 2018, the commissioner received a salary of $105,770, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]

2017[edit]

In 2017, the commissioner received a salary of $105,768, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]

2016[edit]

In 2016, the commissioner received a salary of $102,687, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]

2015[edit]

In 2015, the commissioner received a salary of $99,696, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]

2014[edit]

In 2014, the commissioner received a salary of $96,793, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]

2013[edit]

In 2013, the commissioner received a salary of $93,070, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]

Recent news[edit]

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[edit]

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: insurance@nd.gov

See also[edit]

North Dakota State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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North Dakota State Executive Offices
North Dakota State Legislature
North Dakota Courts
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North Dakota elections: 2022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 North Dakota Insurance Department, "About Us," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
  2. 2.0 2.1 North Dakota Insurance Department, "Mission," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 North Dakota Legislative Branch, "Constitution," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
  4. North Dakota Insurance Department, "Meet the Commissioner," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
  5. Justia, "Chapter 44-02," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
  6. 6.0 6.1 Justia, "Chapter 26.1-01," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
  7. North Dakota Insurance Department, "Divisions," accessed Feb. 3, 2021
  8. North Dakota Office of Management and Budget, "Legislative Appropriations 2021-2023 Biennium," accessed September 20, 2021
  9. Issuu, "The Book of the States," Sept. 30, 2020
  10. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed Jan. 27, 2021
  11. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed Jan. 27, 2021
  12. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed December 3, 2017
  13. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
  14. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
  15. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 4, 2014
  16. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 27, 2014



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