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also appeal in court.
• Representatives of insurance companies testified in favor of the measures, saying the bills require practices that most insurance companies already follow.
• Jason Glodt, representing De Smet Farm Mutual Insurance Co., was the only person to testify against the bill setting standards. He said the measure uses broad and vague terms without defining what is reasonable. A small insurance company could have trouble paying fines allowed in the bills, he said.
• Glodt also said the bills should only apply to companies selling long-term care insurance because the package was written in response to a problem caused by such a company.
• Josh Andersen, the Insurance Division's senior lawyer, said the laws must apply to all kinds of insurance companies, not just those selling long-term care insurance. The bill applies to companies selling life, health, property and casualty insurance, he said. State officials and judges routinely interpret "reasonable standards," Andersen said.
• Daugaard requested that insurance laws be reviewed after The Argus Leader reported that a company had hurt some customers. The Insurance Division eventually fined Ability Insurance $325,000 and required the company to fix problems that included wrongfully denying claims for long-term care.
• Ability officials have said they have made changes to address findings in the Insurance Division's report so the company can comply with state laws and regulations.
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SD wildlife agency investing in urban fishing
CARSON WALKER, Associated Press
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- More rural South Dakota residents are moving to cities, so the state's wildlife agency is taking the fish to the fishermen.
• Specifically, it's focusing more resources on urban and community fishing areas to ensure they're well stocked, healthy and attracting anglers.
• "Twenty years ago you wouldn't think South Dakota's outdoor traditions would be in danger. South Dakota's always been known as a hunting and fishing state," said Todd St. Sauver, regional fisheries manager for the Department of Game, Fish and Parks in Sioux Falls.
• But with the demographic shift away from rural areas, fewer resident licenses for hunting and especially for fishing are being sold, he said Friday. That's a problem because fees from those licenses fund wildlife conservation efforts, he added.
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