HB 410: Insurance, Department of; efficiency in the practices; provide

Georgia law currently requires insurance companies, fraternal benefit societies, and farmers' mutual fire insurance companies to file paperwork in triplicate with the Department of Insurance and, for many transactions like new charters, amendments, mergers, and charter surrenders, to publish notices in local newspapers for four weeks and get a probate judge to certify the publication. House Bill 410 removes those publication and triplicate filing requirements across several chapters of Title 33, since the Department says they add cost and delay without adding value. The bill also removes a fee that used to apply to insurance agency branch offices and eliminates the separate licensing requirement for branch offices, so only an agency's principal office needs a license. It changes agency license renewals from a fixed December 31 deadline to a schedule based on the agency's own origination month, and requires that a license list the licensee's legal name. It also revises the statutory deposit rules for foreign insurers. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it otherwise becomes law.

• Repeals the newspaper publication and probate court certification requirements for insurer charter applications, amendments, mergers, and charter surrenders across several chapters of Georgia's insurance code (O.C.G.A. Title 33).
• Removes the requirement that applications and certificates be filed in triplicate with the Commissioner of Insurance, allowing single filings instead.
• Eliminates licensing fees for insurance agency branch offices and removes the separate license requirement for those branch offices, so only the agency's principal office must be licensed.
• Changes agency license renewal timing from a fixed December 31 deadline to a date based on each agency's own origination month.
• Requires that an insurance license display the licensee's legal name rather than just a name.
• Revises the statutory deposit requirements that apply to foreign insurers doing business in Georgia.

Insurance companies (domestic stock and mutual insurers, foreign and alien insurers), fraternal benefit societies, farmers' mutual fire insurance companies, insurance agencies and their branch offices, and the Georgia Department of Insurance and Secretary of State's office, which process these filings.

Insurers and agencies would face less paperwork and lower costs, since they would no longer need to publish notices in newspapers, get probate court certifications, file in triplicate, or license branch offices separately. Agency renewal deadlines would also shift to match each agency's own start date instead of a single yearly cutoff.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 33-3-8 to narrow the stated purposes for which a foreign insurer's security deposit can be certified as maintained in another state.
• Section 2 repeals fee provisions in O.C.G.A. § 33-8-1 that applied to insurance agency branch licensees.
• Sections 3 through 7 remove newspaper publication and triplicate filing requirements for domestic insurer charter applications, amendments, dissolutions, and charter surrenders (O.C.G.A. §§ 33-14-5, 33-14-6, 33-14-8, 33-14-24, 33-14-25).
• Sections 8 through 10 remove similar publication requirements for fraternal benefit society charters, law amendments, and mergers or consolidations (O.C.G.A. §§ 33-15-40, 33-15-41, 33-15-44).
• Section 11 removes the triplicate filing requirement for farmers' mutual fire insurance company charter applications (O.C.G.A. § 33-16-3).
• Section 12 removes the separate licensing requirement for agency branch offices and changes renewal timing to each agency's origination month (O.C.G.A. § 33-23-3).
• Section 13 requires an insurance license to state the licensee's legal name (O.C.G.A. § 33-23-11).
• Section 14 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law without signature.

1. 2025-05-14Effective Date
2. 2025-05-14Act 265
3. 2025-05-14House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-28Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-28Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-03-18Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2025-03-13Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)Primary sponsor
• Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-12)
• Bruce Williamson (R, HD-112)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-16)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 26, 2025

   164 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 13 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #98

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 28, 2025

   47 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 7 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #329

• insurance regulation
• business licensing
• state agency procedures
• insurance agents