We are pleased to report that Arizona House Bill (HB) 2047, which would put the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) standard for state regulation of travel insurance regulation in place in Arizona, is now law. The bill passed the House on February 3 by a vote of 56 to 0; the Senate on April 9 by a vote of 30 to 0 and was signed into law by Governor Brewer on April 15. (ASTA sent a letter to Governor Brewer on April 10 urging her to sign the bill.)
Thank you to all of you who responded to our two action alerts on the issue in 2013 and contacted their legislators in support of the bill. The bill died last year due to unrelated issues, but breezed through this year, as it does in most states. A big thanks as well to Arizona Chapter President Staci Blunt and PAC Chair Hope Wallace for their efforts on this issue.
Now that Arizona is under the NAIC standard, we are more than halfway there! Maryland, Utah, South Dakota and Wisconsin have all recently joined as well, giving us 26 states, with more to follow in the coming weeks.
Thanks to your efforts and the efforts of members across the country, this standard will soon be in place nationwide and travel agents will be able to offer travel insurance to their customers, regardless of where they are located, without needing a license in all 50 states. This will eliminate a significant regulatory burden for the travel agency industry and save agencies thousands of dollars in annual licensing costs, while reducing their risk of non-compliance.
