NAIC To Reduce Number Of National Meetings

Beginning in 2010, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) will conduct three National Meetings instead of the current quarterly schedule.

The NAIC said the change reflects the reduced number of working group meetings held at the National Meetings, and it also reduces the time and expense requirements that have conflicted with regulators' business in their own states.

According to an NAIC spokesman, the Internal Administration (EX1) Subcommittee of the NAIC adopted a report proposing the schedule change during the 2008 Spring National Meeting.

Asked for further information, the NAIC said, "Starting in Dec. 2006, members saw a marked increase in the total number of meeting sessions occurring at our quarterly national meetings, making it difficult for commissioners to attend all the meetings they both chaired and had a significant interest in attending during the meeting."

The meeting schedule was revised, the NAIC said, reducing the number of working group meetings and reserving National Meetings mainly for task force and committee meetings, along with Executive Committee and Plenary business.

The NAIC asked that working group meetings be held as much as possible through conference calls or interim meetings.

As this effort was deemed successful, the NAIC said it began to discuss the possibility of moving to three National Meetings annually. The NAIC said it had to revisit negotiations with contracted hotels, since those contracts are typically negotiated five years into the future.

"In 2008, when all hotels agreed to work with us without penalty to move the dates for our meeting, EX1 authorized the change to a three-meeting schedule starting in 2010," the NAIC explained.

Aside from reducing time and expense constraints, the NAIC said the increasing number of other NAIC events such as Commissioners Conference, Executive Committee Interim Meetings, and others provided other opportunities throughout the year for state insurance regulators to meet.