Rep. Fitzpatrick named to committee

    AUGUSTA — State Rep. Joyce Fitzpatrick has been appointed to the Legislature’s high profile Joint Standing Committee on Insurance and Financial Services, putting her in position to shape policy in a number of critical areas, including banking, health care reform and mortgage foreclosure prevention.
    The first-term legislator also has been named to serve on the Government Oversight Committee. That panel oversees OPEGA – the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability – which conducts independent audits of state government programs, agencies and activities.
    In the last few years, OPEGA has conducted audits of numerous programs, including the Fund for a Healthy Maine, the Maine Turnpike Authority, economic development programs and state contracting for professional services.
    “I’m very pleased to have been named to these two committees,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick (R-Houlton). “After having spent 32 years in the insurance business, I am anxious to offer that experience to the committee. Regarding the Government Oversight Committee, I look forward to working with the OPEGA staff to assure that state programs are achieving the intended results and are effective, efficient and economical.”
    House Speaker Robert Nutting based the Insurance Committee appointment on Rep. Fitzpatrick’s professional background. She is a licensed property and casualty insurance agent and has worked in the field for more than three decades. She also has served on the Houlton Town Council on the Budget and Finance Committees. Rep. Fitzpatrick has been president of the Houlton Rotary Club and the Insurance Association of Greater Houlton.
    The Insurance and Financial Services Committee has an extensive range of jurisdictional oversight responsibility, starting with the state’s Bureau of Insurance. It deals with banking; financial institutions; credit unions; consumer credit; stocks, mutual funds, bonds and other securities; and financial services.
    It also oversees mortgage lending; foreclosure prevention; automobile, life, property and casualty insurance; health insurance; and health care reform. Moreover, it handles Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company; workers’ compensation insurance; real estate practices; insurance rating, regulation and practices; insurance producers; and licensing.
    The Maine Legislature has 16 joint standing committees, each composed of 13 members – three senators and 10 members of the House. Every committee has jurisdiction over clearly defined parts of state government.
    Rep. Fitzpatrick represents House District 8, which includes the towns of Amity, Hodgdon, Houlton, Orient and Cary Plantation.