Georgia Insurance Office to Hold Hearing on Agency, Fire Safety Rule Changes

The Georgia Commissioner of Insurance will hold a hearing in August on a slew of proposed rule changes, affecting everything from fire safety at self-serve gas pumps and group homes to insurance agency license renewals.

The hearing will be Aug. 5 in the Floyd Building in Atlanta, starting at 9 a.m., the commissioner’s office said in a bulletin. Stakeholders may also submit written comments by July 29 to gconley@oci.ga.gov.

Here’s a look at some of the proposed rule changes:

Agency renewals: Insurance agencies may file for license renewals after the deadline, within 15 days, if the application includes a late fee.

State auto plan: The makeup of the governing body of the Georgia Automobile Insurance Plan, a type of last-resort auto insurance program for those who can’t obtain coverage elsewhere, would become more specific. Current rules note that eight members of the governing committee should be chosen from several organizations, one of which has merged and changed its name. The rule change would dictate that two committee members be chosen from insurers that are members of the Georgia Association of Property and Casualty Insurance companies; four from the American Property Casualty Insurers Association; and two from non-affiliated insurance companies.

Annuities: The rule change would require insurers or producers to “act in the best interest of the consumer,” without placing the insurance interest above that of the customer when recommending the purchase of an annuity.

Self-service gas stations: Current rules dictate, perhaps confusingly, that “unattended self-service facilities shall be permitted to operate as long as such unattended self-service facilities are not open to the public.” The proposal would add a clause, clarifying that unattended operations refer to proprietary and fleet fueling. The rule also would allow unattended fleet fueling at any self-serve station during a declared national or state emergency. Each facility would have to have an emergency fuel shutoff device.

Penalties: If persons transporting or handling flammable liquids violate the office’s safety rules, they could be fined $1,000 under the proposed rule change.

Sprinklers in small group homes: One or two-family homes used as community living sites for one to four residents would not need to install automatic sprinkler systems.

Fire walls: Fire walls and smoke barriers in some buildings would need to be marked in concealed spaces with 2-inch lettering.

Topics Georgia