OIC Answers has moved to the Capitol for the time being, setting up the mics and mixing board in the Insurance Building for a few legislative session-inspired episodes.

This week, Senator Bob Hasegawa — Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus from District 11 — joins Commissioner Kuderer to talk about Senate Bill 5589, which the OIC requested and Hasegawa sponsored.

• Listen to the episode.

SB 5589 asks the OIC to conduct a study on how insurance companies use credit history, credit-based insurance scores and other rate factors that may have disparate impacts on Washington residents. The study would also explore alternatives to credit scoring that companies could use in determining premiums.

Commissioner Kuderer and Senator Hasegawa cover why the bill matters, what it entails, where funding for the study comes from, how the insurance industry feels about the bill and where it’s at in the legislative process.