Commissioner Spotlight: Puerto Rico Commissioner Alexander S. Adams Vega

In the latest entry in our Commissioner Spotlight series, we are focusing on the head of the Puerto Rico Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner Alexander S. Adams Vega. Commissioner Adams has been serving in the Puerto Rico Office of the Commissioner of Insurance for more than 10 years, first as a legal adviser and …

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PIA Asks NAIC to Revise Consumer Privacy Model to Address Independent Agent Needs

Data breaches have increasingly affected every industry that collects consumer nonpublic personal information (NPI). Insurance consumers’ data has been subjected to breaches, too, even though sensitive health information is specially protected by safeguards set forth in the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA), and other insurance data is protected by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) of 1999. Insurance agents and brokers …

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PIA to FTC: Independent Agencies Need Non-Competes

Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would ban the use of non-compete provisions and non-compete agreements between employers and workers. The NPRM invited members of the public to comment during a 60-day period, which ended on March 20. Independent agency owners are among millions of insurance-related businesses that rely …

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Act Now: Tell the FTC Not to Ban Non-Competes

In January, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would ban the use of non-compete provisions and non-compete agreements between employers and workers. The NPRM invites members of the public to comment during a period that will end on March 20, 2023. Once the comment period ends, the FTC …

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2022 Midterm Elections, the 118th Congress, and Implications for the NFIP: A Post-Webinar Recap

Last week, Lauren Pachman, PIA’s counsel and director of regulatory affairs, participated in a panel discussion hosted by the National Flood Association (NFA), on whose board she serves. She was joined on the panel by Chris Brown of Mindset, Brett Hewitt of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), Travis Johnson of 1607 Strategies, and …

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FTC Proposal Would Ban Noncompete Agreements

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would ban employers from entering into noncompete agreements with their employees. A noncompete agreement or clause is a contract or contract term, typically between an employer and an employee, that prevents the employee from working for a competitor or starting …

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Omnibus Heads to Biden’s Desk for Signature

The federal government is currently on the precipice of finalizing a sweeping, $1.7 trillion omnibus funding package, just in time to prevent a looming government shutdown, which would have begun at midnight tonight. Funding the government through the end of the current fiscal year was the final item on the 117th Congress’s agenda. The omnibus …

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Flood Insurance Regulatory Update

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Independent insurance agents deeply focused on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) may already know that, on October 1, the most recently published version of the Flood Insurance Manual took effect. FEMA also recently solicited feedback on the use of Elevation Certificates and Floodproofing Certificates by communities participating in the …

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PIA Asks Senate to Reject ENABLERS

Recently, PIA joined a coalition of trade associations in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) expressing our opposition to the Establishing New Authorities for Business Laundering and Enabling Risks to Security (ENABLERS) Act, which passed the House as part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act …

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FEMA Stokes Agent Concern Over Online NFIP Sales Proposal

Recently, the procurement office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) quietly issued a request for information (RFI) regarding a proposal to offer consumers the option of purchasing a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy online. The RFI provides some background on the history of the NFIP and its recent implementation of its Risk Rating …

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