HBill.html

To amend Code Section 33-23-12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to limited licenses, so as to provide a limited license for retail vendors of communications equipment and their employees who sell insurance coverages for the loss, theft, mechanical failure, or malfunction of or damage to communications equipment; to provide definitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Code Section 33-23-12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to limited licenses, is amended by striking subsection (a) and inserting in lieu thereof a new subsection (a) and adding a new subsection (d) to read as follows:
"(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this Code section for credit insurance licenses, ~~and~~ subsection (c) of this Code section for rental companies, and subsection (d) of this Code section for communications equipment, the Commissioner may provide by rule or regulation for licenses which are limited in scope to specific lines or sublines of insurance."
"(d)(1) As used in this subsection, the term 'communications equipment' shall mean handsets, pagers, personal digital assistants, portable computers, automatic answering devices, cellular telephones, batteries, and other devices or their accessories used to originate or receive communications signals or service for individual customer use only and includes services related to the use of such devices including, but not limited to, individual customer access to a wireless network.
(2) The Commissioner shall issue limited licenses to each business location of a retail vendor of communications equipment and to employees and authorized representatives of such retail vendors for the sale and offer for sale of insurance policies covering only the loss, theft, mechanical failure, or malfunction of or damage to communications equipment.

(3) The sale of such insurance policies shall be limited to sales in connection with the sale of or provision of service for communications equipment by the retail vendor.
(4) As a prerequisite for issuance of a limited license under this subsection, there shall be filed with the Commissioner a written application for such limited license, signed by the applicant or an officer of the applicant, on such form or forms, and supplements thereto, and containing such information as the Commissioner may prescribe.
(5) Each retail vendor licensed pursuant to this subsection shall provide a training program in which employees and authorized representatives of the retail vendor are trained by a licensed instructor and receive basic insurance instruction about the kind of coverage authorized in this subsection and offered for purchase by prospective purchasers of communications equipment or service. Additionally, each retail vendor shall provide such employees and authorized representatives one hour of continuing education courses annually to be taught by a licensed instructor.
(6) No prelicensing examination shall be required for issuance of such license."