§1546. Application for license

            A. A person applying for a resident insurance producer license shall make application to the commissioner of insurance on the Uniform Application and declare under penalty of refusal, suspension, or revocation of the license that the statements made in the application are true, correct, and complete to the best of the individual's knowledge and belief. Before approving the application, the commissioner shall find that the individual:

            (1) Is at least eighteen years of age.

            (2) Resides in the state or maintains his principal place of business in the state.

            (3) Is not disqualified for having committed any act that is a ground for denial, suspension, or revocation as set forth in R.S. 22:1554.

            (4) Repealed by Acts 2022, No. 273, §2, eff. June 3, 2022.

            (5) Has paid the fees set forth in R.S. 22:821.

            (6) Has successfully passed the examinations for the lines of authority for which the person has applied.

            (7) When applicable, has the written consent of the commissioner of insurance pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1033, or any successor statute regulating crimes by or affecting persons engaged in the business of insurance whose activities affect interstate commerce.

            B.(1)(a) A business entity acting as an insurance producer shall obtain an insurance producer license.

            (i) Every member, partner, officer, and director of a resident business entity shall register with the Department of Insurance under the business entity's license. In addition, any person who controls directly or indirectly ten percent or more of a producer business entity shall also register with the Department of Insurance under the business entity's license.

            (ii) A non-resident business entity shall provide to the commissioner upon request the name of every member, partner, officer, director, and person who controls directly or indirectly ten percent or more of the non-resident business entity.

            (iii) For purposes of this Section, "control" has the same meaning as provided in R.S. 22:691.2.

            (b) Every individual who is personally engaged in soliciting or negotiating policies in this state shall be registered with the Department of Insurance under such business entity's license and shall also qualify as an individual licensee for any line of insurance that the business entity is licensed to transact.

            (c) The business entity licensee shall within thirty days notify the commissioner of any change of status of an individual who is registered under the business entity license.

            (d) Any business entity operating at more than one location shall notify the commissioner of each permanent branch location address within thirty days from the date of the opening of the new location. There shall be at least one individual licensed insurance producer registered with the Department of Insurance for each branch location.

            (e) Any business entity which fails to comply with this Subsection shall be subjected to a fine of one hundred dollars for each violation. Any entity against which a fine has been levied shall be given due notice of such action. Upon receipt of this notice, the entity may apply for and shall be entitled to a hearing in accordance with Chapter 12 of this Title, R.S. 22:2191 et seq.

            (2) Application shall be made using the Uniform Business Entity Application. Before approving the application, the commissioner of insurance shall find that:

            (a) The business entity has paid the fees set forth in R.S. 22:821.

            (b) The business entity has designated one or more licensed individual producers responsible for the business entity's compliance with the insurance laws, rules, and regulations of this state.

            (3) Repealed by Acts 2009, No. 485, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2010.

            (4) When completing the background information portion of the Uniform Business Entity Application pertaining to the disclosure of certain lawsuits or arbitration proceedings, corporations, banks, partnerships, or other business entities, and their executive officers and directors, shall disclose those proceedings occurring within the past five years which are considered to be material under generally accepted accounting principles for purposes of financial statement disclosure.

            C. Any professional law corporation formed pursuant to R.S. 12:801 et seq., or any limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or partnership formed for the practice of law, as authorized by R.S. 37:213, may be licensed as a title insurance producer.

            D.(1) The commissioner may require any documents deemed necessary to verify the information contained in an application.

            (2) In order to make a determination of license eligibility, the commissioner may require fingerprints of applicants and submit the fingerprints and the fees required to perform the criminal history record checks to the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information for state and national criminal history record checks. The commissioner shall require a criminal history record check on each applicant in accordance with this Subpart. The commissioner shall require each applicant to submit a full set of fingerprints in order for the commissioner to obtain and receive National Criminal History Records from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division.

            (3) The commissioner may contract for the collection, transmission, and re-submission of fingerprints required under this Section. If the commissioner does so, the fee for collecting and transmitting fingerprints and the fee for the criminal history record check shall be payable directly to the contractor by the applicant. The commissioner may agree to a reasonable fingerprinting fee to be charged by the contractor.

            (4) The commissioner shall treat and maintain an applicant's fingerprints and any criminal history record information obtained under this Section as confidential and shall apply security measures consistent with the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation standards for the electronic storage of fingerprints and necessary identifying information and limit the use of records solely to the purposes authorized in this Section. The fingerprints and any criminal history record information shall be exempt from the public records law, R.S. 44:1 et seq., shall not be subject to subpoena, other than a subpoena issued in a criminal proceeding or investigation, shall be confidential by law and privileged, and shall not be subject to discovery or admissible in evidence in any private civil action.

            (5) If the applicant is a business entity, the commissioner may require that the individuals registered pursuant to Subsection B of this Section submit fingerprints as provided in this Subsection.

            E. Each insurer that sells, solicits, or negotiates any form of limited line credit insurance shall provide to each individual whose duties will include selling, soliciting, or negotiating limited line credit insurance a program of instruction that may be approved by the commissioner of insurance.

            F. Any license issued pursuant to an application claiming residency, as defined in R.S. 22:46, shall constitute an election of residency in the state, and shall be void if the licensee while maintaining a resident license also maintains a license in, or thereafter submits an application for a license in, any other state or other jurisdiction stating that the applicant is a resident of such other state or jurisdiction, or if the licensee ceases to be a resident of this state.

            G, H. Repealed by Acts 2011, No. 94, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 2012.

            Acts 2001, No. 158, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2002; Acts 2005, No. 228, §1, eff. June 29, 2005; Redesignated from R.S. 22:1136 by Acts 2008, No. 415, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2009, No. 317, §1; Acts 2009, No. 485, §§1, 3, eff. Jan. 1, 2010; Acts 2011, No. 94, §§1, 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2012; Acts 2016, No. 315, §1, eff. June 2, 2016; Acts 2017, No. 154, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2018; Acts 2018, No. 11, §1; Acts 2022, No. 273, §2, eff. June 3, 2022.