AN ACT to create and enact section 26.1-26-33.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to obligations of insurance producers to maintain an electronic mailing address for regulatory use; to amend and reenact sections 26.1-26-11, 26.1-26-22, 26.1-26-42.1, 26.1-26.8-09, 26.1-26.8-11, and 26.1-26.8-12 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to producer's lines of insurance, service of process for producer proceedings, revocation of nonresident producer licenses, requirements for renewal of business entity public adjuster licenses, public adjuster proof of insurance requirements, and public adjuster continuing education requirements.
SB 2125 updates North Dakota’s insurance producer and public adjuster licensing laws. The bill requires insurance producers to maintain an electronic mailing address for regulatory communications and authorizes the commissioner to use email for service of process in certain producer proceedings. It also clarifies the lines of insurance a producer may be licensed to market, including life and annuity, accident and health, property, casualty, and variable life and annuity coverage.
The bill makes several administrative and compliance changes for nonresident producers and public adjusters. It allows nonresident producer licenses to be suspended or revoked more quickly when the producer’s home-state license is revoked, suspended, or not renewed on time, and it modernizes the evidence the commissioner may use to confirm that status. For public adjusters, it revises renewal timing, notice, reinstatement, and reporting rules for address changes, administrative actions, and criminal convictions, while also allowing the commissioner to use outside entities for ministerial tasks such as fee collection.
SB 2125 also strengthens financial responsibility and continuing-education requirements for public adjusters. It maintains the requirement for a surety bond or proof of insurance, increases the advance notice period for termination of that bond or coverage, and requires immediate notice if financial responsibility is impaired. The bill keeps the 24-credit continuing education requirement, including three ethics credits, but shifts reporting toward a birth-month-based cycle and gives the commissioner rulemaking authority to manage accreditation and reporting details.
The bill’s impact on state law is primarily regulatory and administrative rather than substantive in terms of insurance coverage. It amends multiple sections of the Century Code governing producer licensing, service of process, nonresident discipline, public adjuster renewal, bonding, and continuing education, and creates a new section requiring an electronic mailing address for regulatory use. The changes affect insurance producers, surplus lines producers, public adjusters, the Insurance Commissioner, and consumers who rely on public adjuster services.
The overall sentiment appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and the House by a wide margin, indicating broad bipartisan support for the modernization and streamlining of insurance regulation. No committee testimony or recorded objections are provided, and the small number of House dissenting votes suggests only limited opposition, likely to the administrative burden or enforcement changes rather than the bill’s overall purpose.
SB 2125 amends North Dakota Century Code provisions governing insurance producer and public adjuster licensing, discipline, notice, and compliance. It creates a new requirement that insurance producers maintain an electronic mailing address for regulatory use, authorizes electronic service of process in certain commissioner proceedings, updates nonresident license revocation procedures, and revises public adjuster renewal, bonding, reporting, and continuing education rules. The bill primarily affects licensed insurance producers, surplus lines producers, public adjusters, and the Insurance Commissioner’s administrative authority.
The bill appears to have received broad, bipartisan support and little visible controversy. It passed the Senate 47-0 and the House 91-2, suggesting general agreement that the changes modernize regulatory procedures and improve administrative efficiency. The absence of committee transcript opposition further indicates a largely favorable reception.
No major points of contention are documented in the available materials. The most likely areas for debate would have been the new electronic-mail requirement, electronic service of process, quicker revocation of nonresident licenses, and the tightened public adjuster compliance rules, since these increase regulatory oversight and impose additional monitoring obligations on licensees. However, the overwhelming vote margins suggest any concerns were limited and did not generate significant opposition.