INSURANCE: Licensing bill idles; optional federal charter may reappear

As a House-passed measure affecting insurance agents continues to idle in the Senate, some industry watchers anticipate that lawmakers next year will focus on federal regulation of both agents and insurers. The House-passed bill, HR 2554, would create a single national licensing organization for insurance agents, who could register with the federal organization instead of with multiple states. Meanwhile, the controversial issue of creating an optional federal charter is also expected to be addressed. A bill (HR 1880) that would create such a charter has made no movement since its introduction in April 2009. For more details of either bill, visit thomas.loc.gov.