By J. Lyn Carl, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX –
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana businesses will benefit from an initiative announced today by the Texas Secretary of State's office, while the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) is available to assist hurricane evacuees in Texas with their insurance questions.
Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams announced that Texas will allow corporations, limited partnerships and limited liability companies that have temporarily relocated to Texas due to damage done by Hurricane Katrina to temporarily transact business in Texas without a Certificate of Authority.
"One of the greatest assets to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama as they heal and rebuild will be their business communities," Williams said. "And yet, the destruction and loss caused by Katrina pose serious problems for business owners, especially small business owners. My office is doing everything it can, within the scope of Texas law, for businesses that have temporarily relocated to Texas."
Williams has directed his agency to waive the provisions of state law that allow a non-Texas business to operate in the state for 30 days without a Certificate of Authority. That deadline has been expanded to 60 days.
"These men and women are facing enough challenges and obstacles without having to worry about government bureaucracy and red tape," Williams said. The Secretary said he has been in contact with Secretaries of State in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to reassure them that Texas will do everything it can to help their business communities and to assist their offices.
Williams also will ensure expediting the process for any company filing for a Certificate of Authority. Nahdiah Hoang, an attorney in the Corporations Section, has been appointed as a special liaison to assist any business temporarily relocating as a result of Katrina and has been given authority to facilitate filings with the Secretary of State's Office. "I hope that each of us will rise to this challenge in our own way, according to our own ability," Williams said of Texans' efforts to assist the affected Gulf Coast residents and businesses.
Additional assistance for individuals who fled the hurricane damage is also being offered by TDI. Disaster recovery centers (DRCs) have been set up in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas to assist the nearly 250,000 evacuees who fled to Texas. TDI staff are at all three centers assisting evacuees with their insurance questions and claims, including workers' compensation claims.
The goal, say TDI officials, is to ensure prompt responses from the insurance industry regarding evacuees' insurance claims and questions. "The quicker evacuees can talk with their carriers, the sooner the evacuees may be able to get money for living expenses, file claims, or receive other assistance that will help them rebuild their lives," said TDI officials, noting the agency's commitment to provide this assistance in the upcoming months.
Regarding workers' compensation claims, TDI notes that if an evacuee is an injured worker who was being paid workers' compensation benefits on Aug. 29 when Hurricane Katrina hit, those individuals can receive assistance in directing their workers' compensation benefit checks to where they are now located.
TDI also notes that a number of insurance carriers have set up disaster hotlines to assist their policyholders in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Those hotlines and additional information are available on the Texas Department of Insurance Hurricane Katrina Assistance webpage.