The insurance industry is backing an ethics exemption that would allow agents and others to directly advise governmental clients on services and products, a form of business communication that is currently prohibited under Louisiana law.
Robert Page, an insurance agent from Houma who this fall becomes president of the Professional Insurance Agents Association, a national advocacy and trade group, admits the proposal jumps off the page, especially since it’s accomplished through an ethics exemption. Insurance agents have sought official opinions from the attorney general’s office in the past to interpret the vague area of the law. Page has such an opinion, which allowed him to advise a public entity as long as he wasn’t a part of the decision-making process.
“We’re not employees, we’re not taking part in the final decision,” he says. “We should be able to treat all of our clients the same.”
Page offers one working example: “If I’m covering a parish government, and I see a power plant going up, but it’s not covered, I should be able to call and advise them to add that to their coverage.”
Senate Bill 54 would prohibit insurance providers from serving as public employees for the government agency receiving coverage and also excludes elected office, appointed positions, advisory committees and risk-management positions. If an insurance agent does hold one of these positions, they must wait two years before conducting business with that government agency, according to the proposed law. It will be debated during the regular session of the Legislature that convenes today.
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