President’s Message
Industry Benefits from Federal, State Legislative Successes

John F. Wood
NAPSLO President


Over the past year, NAPSLO has worked with numerous state and national industry organizations to find a remedy to the Essex v. Zota decision. Those efforts were rewarded with overwhelming support from the Florida House, Senate and Governor in getting HB 853 passed and signed into law.

 

HB 853 restores the industry's exemption from the regulation of surplus lines forms and policies and, outside of existing lawsuits, affirms the industry's regulatory exemption retroactively.

 

NAPSLO and the industry are pleased to see the bill signed into law. This was an important accomplishment for the industry and for the Working Group that had drafted and steered the legislation through the approval process.

 

The surplus lines industry also received good news in June with the announcement that the Treasury Department’s financial regulatory reform proposal envisions the continued use of state regulation of insurance and that the NonAdmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act has been introduced into the Senate.

 

In early June NAPSLO took part in a White House meeting with other industry representatives and was able to make a case for state regulation. NAPSLO also submitted information about our industry after the meeting, and our comments were fundamental in the Treasury Department’s final document.

 

This is an important time in the regulatory history of our industry. Our involvement at the federal level over the past few years has enabled us to take part in discussions with Congress and the White House on the future of our industry.

 

In speaking with Maria Berthoud, our Washington, D.C. representative, she noted that “if NAPSLO had decided to become involved in D.C. this year, or even last year, I am not sure we would have had the impact that a continued strong presence has had. In five years NAPSLO has become a voice that now needs to be heard, NAPSLO's opinions are sought after, and NAPSLO's leadership is now well known.”

 

Our members should be aware of our successful legislative efforts and know they can shape the future through their actions.  Our success is due to the hard work by the NAPSLO staff, our representatives in Washington, the Legislative Committee, the NAPSLO Board of Directors, and our members, individually or through donations to the NAPSLO PAC. The next year will be very important in determining the type of regulation we face. It is essential for you to stay involved, or become involved.

 

The NAPSLO Annual Convention, October 7-10 in Orlando, will provide networking opportunities for members with their peers as well as the latest information on what is going on in the industry. Online registration continues for a second year and the improved process of registering has made it much more convenient for members to reserve a hotel room.

In addition to the networking opportunities, the state of the industry will be examined during a presentation by Dr. Robert Hartwig, President of the Insurance Information Institute, and by a panel discussion featuring company and broker representatives. Current workplace issues will also be a topic, featuring the differing views of Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennials.

 

While the convention is several months away, the Association is already working to prepare for 2010 and beyond. The Nominating Committee is currently taking nominations for members of the Board, and later this summer we will be asking for committee volunteers to assist with our efforts.

 

Future e-mails will provide more information on NAPSLO’s Advanced School, as registration will start later this summer. Recently we completed another successful E&S School with more than 80 people attending and this year's school already received very positive reviews.

 

Your participation in NAPSLO is key to our success. I urge you to be involved with the Association, whether it involves participating in our schools, attending our meetings, or assisting with our legislative efforts.