July 2, 2001 – Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II returned from the annual meeting of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors with several votes of confidence to his credit.
He was elected to chair the organization's Eastern Region for the coming year — which will end next June with the NCLG holding its 2002 annual meeting on St. Croix.
James introduced and was successful in winning the adoption of a resolution calling for Congress to establish a federal insurance program to protect individuals in disaster-prone states and territories against catastrophic losses from natural disasters.
The conference membership also voted to promote the establishment of a federal reinsurance program, so as to enhance and improve state insurance programs created in response to natural disasters.
At an executive committee meeting, according to a release from James's office, the lieutenant governor stressed that because of rising insurance costs and diminished capacity, homeowners in disaster-prone areas have had, and continue to have, difficulty in obtaining adequate property and casualty coverage from private insurers.
His proposal was co-sponsored by Lt. Govs. Madeleine Bordallo of Guam, Charles Fogarty of Rhode Island, Jesus Sablan of the Northern Marianas, Gary Sherrer of Kansas and Amy Tuck of Mississippi.
