PIA and other industry representatives met January 29, 2003 via conference call with NAIC President Mike Pickens to outline the industry's hope that the NAIC will continue to strive for more uniformity in producer licensing procedures.  Although several states have enacted laws virtually identical to the NAIC's Producer Licensing Model Act, interpretations on implementation issues often differ among the states. Examples of these differences include the scope of background checks, license renewal procedures and the amount of additional paper required with "electronic licensing." President Pickens assured the industry representatives that the NAIC remains committed to bringing more uniformity among the states, recognizing that Congress will use this as a barometer to assess whether the states or the federal government should regulate insurance. In addition, he confirmed that the Uniform Producer Licensing Working Group will push ahead with the needed reforms.

February 3, 2003