LOUISIANA (KLFY) — Rising insurance rates for home, business and car owners have become a serious issue; Tim Temple said he is running for Louisiana insurance commissioner to make sure recovery starts sooner rather than later.

“It can’t be any more serious, literally,” Tim Temple said. “As I travel the state I talk to families and businesses and they’re trying to figure out how do I pay for my homeowner’s insurance that just went from a thousand dollars a month to three thousand or four thousand. You have businesses with the same thing. It’s impacting all of us, not just us as individuals but our economy. It can’t be any more serious than that.”

As more insurance companies continue to leave the state, insurance rates only continue to rise.

Temple proposes an ease in regulations can lead more businesses back to Louisiana.

“We’re a very tough regulatory state to do business with,” Temple said. “We have to make ourselves more attractive. We have to have, I think, an ease in regulations. We do that for other industries in our state, we need to do the same for insurance. The more companies we have come to the state of Louisiana, the more competition you get. The more competition, the lower your insurance rates are going to be at the end of the day.

Natural disaster preparedness is another huge factor Temple says needs more attention.

Saying there should be a priority on working with insurance providers for homes, commercial property and auto insurance companies to help them have plans in place to quickly survey client needs and start the road to recovery.

Temple said with all these moving parts it’s time for an insurance commissioner to take the time to prepare these plans of action.

“Insurance is complex, what do you do?” Temple said. “You work with the industry and identify with the homeowners, why have companies left the state of Louisiana? Why have companies gone insolvent? On the auto you look at why the rates are going up and up and up. On the commercial side, why are the rates going up? And I think it’s important that whoever the next commissioner of insurance is understands those complexities; and works on real meaningful solutions and not just feel-good soundbites.”

Temple said becoming the next commissioner of insurance is important to him, but what’s more important is helping families get the relief they deserve.