(a)(1) Except as provided in subdivisions (2), (3) and (4) of this subsection, any license issued to an insurance producer by the commissioner shall be in force only until the first day of February in each even-numbered year, but may be renewed by the commissioner in accordance with this section.

(2) Any initial license issued to an insurance producer on or after January 1, 2006, shall expire two years after the date of the producer's birthday that preceded the date the license was issued. Such license may be renewed every two years thereafter in accordance with this section.

(3) Except for a license issued or renewed pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection, or a transitional license issued pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection, any producer license in effect on January 1, 2007, shall be in force only until the producer's first birthday after January 1, 2007. Such license may be renewed every two years thereafter in accordance with this section.

(4) From February 1, 2006, until January 1, 2007, the commissioner may implement a transitional process to renew producer licenses that were in effect on December 30, 2005, on the basis of a producer's birthday. The commissioner may use the transitional process to renew some or all of the producer licenses that would otherwise be renewed under subdivision (1) of this subsection, provided producers are selected for participation in the transitional process on a nondiscriminatory basis. Selection criteria may include use of producer license numbers or alphabetical selection of producers based on the producer's last name. Any license renewed during the transitional period shall expire on the producer's first birthday after the renewal date and may be renewed every two years thereafter in accordance with this section.

(5) Not later than thirty days before a license issued to a producer expires, the commissioner shall notify the producer of the expiration date.

(6) The fees for producer licenses and agent appointments shall be assessed as provided in section 38a-11.

(7) Any license issued to an insurance producer may be renewed in the commissioner's discretion and without formality other than proper application, payment of the renewal fee set forth in section 38a-11 and satisfactory proof that such applicant at that time possesses the required qualifications for license and that the issuance of such license will not be contrary to the licensing provisions of this title, provided any producer's license issued by the commissioner, except a temporary producer's license provided for in section 38a-702j, shall continue in force until cancelled, suspended or revoked and provided the insurance company represented by any licensee or licensees shall furnish the commissioner, prior to May first, biennially, the names of its agents whose appointments it wishes to continue.

(8) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to establish a schedule for the renewal of licenses under this section.

(b) Prior to May first of even-numbered years insurance companies represented by any licensees shall furnish the commissioner with the names of its agents whose appointments they wish to continue.

(c) The commissioner may implement a plan of renewal for agent licenses and appointments that provides for a more efficient process. Upon implementation of such a process by the commissioner, the procedures outlined in subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be superseded.

(d) Any insurance company which cancels or nonrenews an appointment of any agent or any agency shall notify the Insurance Department, the agent and the agency, in writing, within thirty days of any such cancellation or nonrenewal. Any termination of an agent appointment shall be on a form as prescribed by the commissioner. Nothing in this subsection shall alter the requirements specified in section 38a-709.

(e) Any insurance producer license may be renewed by the commissioner, provided such applicant has satisfied the continuing education requirements set forth in section 38a-782a.

(P.A. 90-243, S. 28; P.A. 94-160, S. 19, 24; P.A. 95-136, S. 5, 8; P.A. 99-45, S. 3; P.A. 01-113, S. 39, 42; P.A. 05-266, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 94-160 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a), substituting “producer” for “agent or insurance broker” to accurately reflect the modernization and nomenclature of the industry, changing license expiration date from “May” to “February” and making technical changes, effective January 1, 1996, added Subsec. (b) re continuation of appointments, effective January 1, 1996, added new Subsecs. (c) allowing the commissioner to implement a plan of renewal for agent appointments and (d) requiring any insurer which cancels or nonrenews an appointment to notify the insurance department in writing within 30 days, effective June 2, 1994, and added new Subsec. (e) re continuing education requirement, effective January 1, 1996 (Revisor's note: In codifying this double section the Revisors designated the existing section as Subsec. (a) and then added Subsecs. (c) and (d) from P.A. 94-160, designating them Subsecs. (b) and (c) respectively, since those Subsecs. were effective June 2, 1994. The Revisors also deleted editorially a reference in the newly designated Subsec. (b) to “and (b)” since that reference is only relevant to the second version of this section, effective January 1, 1996. The above-mentioned Subsecs. (c) and (d) are included in the second version of this section and designated (c) and (d) as enacted); P.A. 95-136 in Subsec. (a) substituted “issued for” for “issued by”, effective January 1, 1996; P.A. 99-45 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute “appointments” for “licenses” re names furnished to commissioner of agents whose appointments the company wishes to continue; P.A. 01-113 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute reference to Sec. 38a-702j for Sec. 38a-783, and “the commissioner's” for “his”, effective September 1, 2002; P.A. 05-266 amended Subsec. (a) re birthday-based renewal process to add Subdiv. designators, add exception in Subdiv. (1), add new Subdiv. (2) re licenses initially issued on or after January 1, 2006, add new Subdiv. (3) re other licenses in effect on January 1, 2007, add new Subdiv. (4) re transitional process to renew licenses, add new Subdiv. (5) re notice of expiration date, add new Subdiv. (6) re fees, amend existing provisions as Subdiv. (7) re conditions for renewals, and add new Subdiv. (8) re regulations, amended Subsec. (c) to add agent “licenses” re renewals, and made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (e).