Horowhenua District Council

**About the Department** The Kansas Legislature established the Kansas Department of Insurance in 1871. The first Superintendent of Insurance, later changed to Commissioner of Insurance in 1927, was William C. Webb. There have been twenty-six Commissioners to lead the Kansas Insurance Department, including current Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. The longest-serving Commissioner was Frank Sullivan, who served from 1947 to 1971. In 2017, the Kansas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 23, which merged the Kansas Securities Commission with the Kansas Department of Insurance. Prior to the 2017 Legislation, the Securities Commission was an executive branch agency that reported to the Governor. Established in 1911, Kansas became the first state to pass a law regulating the sale of investments. According to J.N. Dolley, a driving force for the law’s passage, it was an effort to prevent the sale of securities by promoters who promised rain, but delivered only “blue sky.” In the next few years, other states passed similar laws and today, all states’ securities laws are referred to as “Blue Sky Laws”. Following the great stock market crash of 1929, the federal government began to regulate investment activity with the passage of the Securities Act of 1933, and the creation of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 1934. Insurance and securities have changed over the years but the responsibility of the Kansas Insurance Department to the people of Kansas remains unchanged. **[Our Mission](https://insurance.kansas.gov/about-us/#)** The mission of the Kansas Department of Insurance is to Regulate, Educate, and Advocate. **Regulate:** Regulate and review companies that sell policies in Kansas to ensure solvency and compliance with insurance and securities laws and regulations. **Educate:** Consumers about all things insurance and securities by publishing brochures and rate guides to assist in the shopping process, giving presentations to groups across Kansas and serving as a non-biased source of information. **Advocate:** For a strong and competitive market to give Kansans choices when shopping for products that meet their needs.