(A)(1) An applicant or producer licensed to sell property and casualty insurance or to sell life, accident and health insurance, or both, or qualified for this licensure, shall complete biennially a minimum of twenty-four hours of continuing insurance education in order to be eligible for licensure for the following two years. A person who falsely represents that he or another person has met the continuing insurance education requirements of this section, after being afforded notice and an opportunity for a hearing by the Administrative Law Court, is subject to the penalties provided in Section 38-2-10.
(2) However, if a producer is licensed in both property and casualty and life, accident and health, the producer shall complete at least one-third of the twenty-four required biennial continuing insurance education hours in courses related to each of these types of licenses or qualification for licensure. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection or another provision of law, a maximum of eighteen credit hours earned may be carried forward to the next biennial continuing insurance education period, as long as the hours carried forward are in excess of the required minimum for a particular reporting period.
(3) However, a licensed resident producer who has obtained one of the following designations may use the credit hours earned to maintain the designation toward the fulfillment of the twenty-four hour requirement: Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF), Registered Health Underwriter (RHU), Registered Employee Benefit Consultant (REBC), or Chartered Financial Consultant (CHFC) for a life, accident, and health license, or Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) or Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) for a property and casualty license.
(4) A producer may repeat a continuing education course, but credit must not be given more than once for a course repeated during a biennial compliance period.
(B)(1) The director or his designee shall administer these continuing education requirements and shall approve courses of instruction which qualify for these purposes. However, the director may enter into reciprocal agreements with the insurance commissioners of other states regarding the approval of continuing education courses, sponsors, instructors, or proctors if, in his judgment, the arrangements or agreements are in the best interest of the State and if the proposed courses, sponsors, instructors, or proctors submitted meet the minimum statutory requirements of this State for approval. However, the director or his designee may not enter into or continue a reciprocal agreement unless the other state has requirements similar to this State in approving courses, sponsors, instructors, or proctors. In administering this program, the department, in its discretion, may promulgate regulations producers provide to a continuing education administrator established within the department proof of compliance with continuing education requirements as a condition of license renewal or, in the alternative, contract with an outside service provider to provide recordkeeping services as the continuing education administrator. The costs of the continuing education administrator must be paid from the continuing insurance education fees paid by producers in the manner provided by this section, except that course approval responsibilities may not be designated to the continuing education administrator. The continuing education administrator shall compile and maintain, in conjunction with insurers and producers, records reflecting the continuing insurance education status of all licensed or qualified producers subject to the requirements of this section. The continuing education administrator shall furnish to the insurer, as specified by regulation, a report of the continuing insurance education status of all of its producers. All licensed producers shall provide evidence of their continuing insurance education status to the continuing education administrator by the last day of the individual's month of birth. An individual born in an odd-numbered year shall comply every odd-numbered year. An individual born in an even-numbered year shall comply every even-numbered year.
(2) The department may promulgate regulations prescribing the overall parameters of continuing education requirements, and these regulations expressly must authorize the director or his designee to recognize product-specific training offered by insurers. The director shall appoint an advisory committee to make recommendations with respect to courses offered for approval, but the director or his designee shall retain authority with respect to course approvals. When the advisory committee is approved, it shall meet regularly as needed, but no less than semiannually, to review new course applications. Also, the advisory committee shall review modifications of courses previously approved and review previously promulgated regulations to make recommendations regarding any need for modifications, deletions, or new regulations. In making these appointments, the director may accept nominations for qualified individuals from the Professional Insurance Agents of South Carolina; the Independent Insurance Agents of South Carolina; the South Carolina Association of Automobile Insurance Agents; the South Carolina Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers; the Association of South Carolina Life Insurance Companies; the Direct Writers Insurance Companies; insurers that are not members of any national insurance trade association; and another individual, group, or trade or professional association.
(3) A vacancy on the advisory committee must be published in newspapers of general, statewide circulation. Each advisory committee member must be appointed for a term of two years and shall serve until his successor is appointed and qualified. A vacancy must be filled for the unexpired term only.
(C) The appointment of a producer may not be renewed unless the producer has completed the mandated continuing insurance education requirements during the previous two-year accreditation period. The license of a producer who fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall lapse in accordance with the provisions of Section 38-43-110. Each insurer is responsible, biennially before renewal, for furnishing to the department certification that its producers meet the continuing insurance education requirements. Each producer is responsible for payment to the continuing education administrator a reasonable annual fee for operation of the continuing insurance education program. These fees are not refundable nor proratable and must be used to administer the provisions of this section.
(D) This section also applies to nonresident producers unless otherwise provided in this section. However, a nonresident producer who successfully satisfies continuing insurance education requirements of his home state is considered to have satisfied the requirements of this section regardless of the requirements of that other state.
(E) An insurance producer licensed for limited lines insurance is exempt from the provisions of this section.
(F) The department is authorized to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this section.
(G) All information received by the advisory committee in the course and scope of its duties must be treated as confidential and proprietary and not used or disclosed outside the requirements of the duties imposed on it by law.
HISTORY: 1991 Act No. 141, Section 2; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 661; 1994 Act No. 374, Section 1; 1994 Act No. 399, Section 1; 2000 Act No. 273, Section 1; 2002 Act No. 199, Section 1, eff March 27, 2002; 2002 Act No. 323, Section 2, eff January 31, 2003; 2003 Act No. 73, Section 12, eff June 25, 2003; 2004 Act No. 291, Sections 4.A and 6.A, eff January 1, 2005, Section 5.A, eff July 1, 2004, Section 7.A, eff May 1, 2006; 2008 Act No. 326, Section 8, eff June 16, 2008; 2009 Act No. 69, Section 4, eff June 2, 2009.
Editor's Note
2006 Act No. 332, Section 29, provides as follows:
"Section 7B of Act 291 of 2004 [which amended subsection (H) effective May 1, 2006] is amended to read:
"This section takes effect May 1, 2010."