Book John Morrison to
speak at your event
If
you are interested in having John
speak at your event, please contact
B.J. Hoven at (406) 444-2006 or email
her at B.
J. Hoven, Montana State Auditor's
Office.
Please
provide the following information:
·
Name
of conference or event
·
Date
of conference or event
·
Location
of conference or event
·
Your
contact information (email, phone,
fax, cell phone)
Topics
John Morrison can cover include:
·
The
healthcare landscape in America today
·
Healthcare
reform and state innovations
·
Public
lands and increasing public access
·
The
captive insurance industry in Montana
and the U.S.
·
Consumer
protection
·
Securities
fraud
·
Montana’s
political history
Biography
of John Morrison
John Morrison was elected Montana State Auditor, the Commissioner
of Insurance and Securities in
November 2000 and re-elected in 2004.
As one of five statewide elected
officials making up Montana’s
executive branch, Morrison’s top
priorities are consumer protection,
reducing the number of uninsured
Montanans, increasing access to public
lands and job creation.
Commissioner Morrison is recognized as a national leader on the
issue of reducing the ranks of the
uninsured. As the Chairman of the
Health Insurance and Managed Care
Committee of the National Association
of Insurance Commissioners, Auditor
Morrison led the efforts nationwide
for states to start seeking innovative
solutions to the healthcare crisis in
America. On several occasions, Auditor
Morrison was invited to testify before
the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House on
cutting-edge healthcare solutions
initiated by the states and how those
solutions could serve as models for
the nation.
In Montana, the 2005 legislature approved Commissioner Morrison’s
landmark Insure Montana program that
combines a state health insurance pool
and tax credits to make health
insurance more affordable for Montana’s
small businesses. Insure Montana drew
national attention when it was
recognized by the National Association
of Insurance Commissioners as one of
four innovative state programs
designed to begin addressing the
healthcare crisis. Administered by
Auditor Morrison's office, Insure
Montana is making a positive
difference in the lives of more then
10,000 Montanans. www.insuremontana.org
.
Commissioner Morrison is now chairing a state-wide ballot
initiative campaign to create the
Healthy Montana Kids Plan to provide
health coverage to Montana’s
uninsured children. www.healthymontanakids.com
.
Morrison is recognized as a national leader in consumer protection
and was featured in Consumer Reports
for his efforts to stop the promotion
and sale of fraudulent health
insurance plans. In 2001, Morrison led
a national effort to crack down on
phony health insurance and discount
card plans. As head of a task force of
the National Association of Insurance
Commissioners, Morrison was charged
with developing a plan to stop the
sale of fake insurance plans that
often misrepresent the extent of
coverage. Morrison requested and
crafted legislation in the 2005
session to ensure that medical care
discount card providers were
legitimate before they were allowed to
sell their products in Montana. This
law was one of the first in the nation
to address this issue and has served
as a model for other states.
Commissioner Morrison is credited with establishing a new emerging
industry in Montana – the captive
insurance industry. At Morrison’s
request, the 2001 legislature passed a
law allowing captive insurance
companies to operate in Montana,
making Montana only one of a number of
states in the nation to aggressively
pursue captive insurance business. The
captive insurance industry is, in
essence, a financial services industry
that requires a highly paid
infrastructure to support it, and
brings national and international
companies to the state that otherwise
might never have any contact with the
region.
As a member of the Montana State Land Board, Commissioner Morrison
was successful in leading the effort
to create the State Land Banking
Program. Land banking is the process
of consolidating state land holdings
to increase public recreational use of
state land while increasing revenue to
the State School Trust Fund. Morrison
first proposed the idea after he
determined that nearly 50 percent of
Montana’s School Trust Lands were
wholly surrounded by private property,
according to a study commissioned by
the State Auditor’s Office. In
October of 2006, the first acquisition
under the land banking program was
made, opening up more public lands to
Montanans and also preserving a
national treasure -- an ancient
buffalo jump site. More than 20,000
acres of land have already been
acquired and opened to public access
under the program.
As Montana’s top securities regulator, Morrison has led the
efforts to crack down on fraudulent
securities activity in the state. In
2001, Morrison personally prosecuted
the then-largest securities fraud case
in the U.S. The case involved
fraudulent and unethical business
practices by U.S. Bancorp Piper
Jaffray and its former Butte salesman
Thomas J. O’Neill. Another landmark
case led by Morrison was the Pat
Davison Ponzi scheme – the largest
Ponzi scheme in the history of
Montana. In 2005 alone, Morrison
recovered more than $7 million for
investors whose money was wrongfully
taken and imposed over $1.5 million in
fines. The O’Neill and Davison cases
are featured in a new documentary film
produced by the state auditor’s
office, financed by a grant from the
Investor Protection Trust, and
narrated by J.K. Simmons.
Commissioner Morrison also launched InvestSmart Montana, an
investor protection program, funded by
grants from the Investor Protection
Trust. www.investsmartmt.org
The program
works with AARP, the Montana Senior
Citizen’s Association, and a number
of state and federal government
agencies to present investor education
seminars across Montana.
Commissioner Morrison is a recognized leader in the National
Association of Insurance
Commissioners. He currently chairs
NAIC’s Market Regulation and
Consumer Affairs Committee. In
addition to previously chairing the
Health Insurance and Managed Care
Committee, Morrison also served as
chairman of the Consumer Protections
Working Group where he led the roll
out of a national internet portal for
consumers. www.naic.org/cis
He also
chaired the task force addressing
legal issues arising from the
terrorist attacks on September 11.
Morrison was selected in 2003 by the Democrat Leadership Council as
one of 100 New Democrats to Watch. He
was one of 10 public officials chosen
by the national group for closer
attention. His work has been covered
in the Wall Street Journal, Money,
Consumer Reports, The Washington Post,
The New York Times, Ladies Home
Journal and Best’s Review, among
other publications.
Prior to being elected as Montana State Auditor, Morrison practiced
law in Montana for 13 years. He
represented Montana in the state's
tobacco case, represented the New York
Times and other media organizations in
the "Unabomber" case, and
handled many complex insurance cases
in federal and state trial and
appellate courts. He previously worked
as a legislative aide and legal
counsel in the U.S. Senate.
Morrison received a bachelor's degree in philosophy and politics
from Whitman College in Walla Walla,
Wash., and a law degree from the
University of Denver where he was a
winner of the national trial
competition and a law review editor.
As an accomplished writer, Morrison has written numerous legal
opinions, briefs, articles and guest
editorials. In addition, Morrison and
his wife Cathy co-authored the book
"Mavericks, The Lives and Battles
of Montana Political Legends,”
published in 1997 by the University of
Idaho Press and republished in
paperback in 2003 by the Montana
Historical Society.
Morrison has spoken extensively on consumer protection, securities
fraud, health policy for the uninsured
and underinsured, public lands &
public access issues and the
healthcare landscape in the U.S.
today.
As the son of late Frank Morrison Jr., former state Supreme Court
Justice, and grandson of the late
Frank Morrison Sr., former governor of
Nebraska, John Morrison was raised in
a family committed to social justice
and public service.
