Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Ron.Manln Hall, ConaQl68loner Boardof Insuranoa Coraml6sionsrs AU8tin, TeraS Dear Sir: Attsntlonr Mr. Oirard K oplnfon KO. 0.1% Rc: DO06 till6 l&o Insuranos D6 for any person to ugslltor otherwlae ng f&pplfoatlon6 for la- ewtr, or lnaany6mmtw on oi the buslnees of any in66rporatsd in this state or ilxnt pre6uritlg.aoartirioato he ommlsolonsr." 59U, of the Penal Code OS Toxaa, amkw Zt a pew&l offense for any lndlvldual to 6Olioit iB6lIxWlOO in behalf of any $n~uranoe oompsn without: a OsrtifiWits Qt au- thorlty oltm ror sa6h oompmf, 02 to a0t a6 agent or sol f: after 6uoh oertit&daW of author&Q 8h8ll hav0 besn 666062- led or ??evoksd. Hon. !&mvln Hall, Fag6 2 include anyone bringing fire or oaeualty insuranoe buslnes6 into the offloe of a licensed fire and casualty recording ent upon whloh he aooepts COik~&6km6, This i6 the situa- 7 t on kmoribed by you in your letter. ~~%lole 5002a, Ver- non's Annotated Civil Statutes, was originally emoted by the 4&d Legislature in 1931, and provides, In part, in eeotlon 1 thamof, as rollawsr "~UratlOe egeIIt6,56 that t6l%IiS dSfi.IWd ia the laws of the state, shall for the s"t'pge Oi this aOt be divided illtotwo Ola66es . ~&lo16 S062a, supra regulate6 the llosnsin$ of loaal reoora ageuts and 601~01tcr6 to represent insumnoe companies, seotlon 12 thereor, in part, read- a6 follow6: the l;g gvislon of this act 6hal.lapply to uranoe busin or the life 6eprt- mentoftheoomputfes engagedtbsreip,* * =. Ln 1955, there wa6 emoted by the 45rd I..@alatur6, what is,now rrtlole 5OS8b. Vernon's Annotated Olvil Statutes, whlcrh arnpngother things regulated the liOen6ing af Otlt6 for Ike insuranoe 6ompapies, aooident lnsursnoe oompaiif es, et%?< It is Si@IifiOa& that at the tbie OS the eMOt!fmnt Of this statute regulatingthe lio~aing of 1iSe insUrarrOeagents, there had already bean emoted ths above statute regulatlw the lieenslingof ixu3ur6noeagents , other tharrthose pertaipLng to the Xii6 i~6UXaIlO0bu6iae66. It 1s.deemed tmneoessary to set out in full these respeotlre statutory enaotments. suf?i6e it to point out, a6 zed ln your letter that the statutes enumerate oertaln llo6ns&g l.lfe health and aooLdent agents qualitioatlons ior the iioenalag of fire and oasualty agents and solloitora. we ea.80point out that 6inOe the original enaotment of these statutes, there have b6i?nsub- SOqWlt 61566&Wilt6 thW6t0, whioh, hoWeVer, d0 net in slnyrrirae affeot the question Submitted by you. These statutes e~ldenoe a olear lee;islatlveintent to requlre both the licensing of life insui%noe agent6 and fire and oaaualty oompanp agentS. Art1616 SO&k, 6upra spe- oirioally excepts Uite inauranoe agents W3m it6 op6ratLm. hxtlole SQS8b, supra, by its term6 applies only to "an agent for a life insuranoe oompany, aaaldent insuraues life and accident, health and aoefdent, or life, aeoident iaeuranoe company, er assoalatlan, or organtoa~on, loaal mutual ala a66oolatlon, OF statewide n&u&X a66eaiation, 6olioiting or writ&g lwburanoe in the stat6 bi Texa6, a6 the 892 Hon. Marvin Hall, Page 9 term 'agent* is elsewhere defined in the law." You are thersiow respeotfully advlaed that it is the 0 iniOn of this departmnt that the lloeme Issued by the 1pie ln6uranoe departmnt of the Boar% of Imur- an06 Co~1~&66loncws,would not authorize the agent holding euoh lloen6a to al60 aot a6 agent, a6 that term 16 defined pnrci;;e SO58, supra, for rire or OaStIaltyln6uraaoe Aooordlngly, wider the faots a6 ret out In ppur letter, wi an6wer yaw? queatfon in the negatiw. Yours very truly m Fnt*a. Fanning MldStadi ATTORNEY G