15 USC 6404 - Propane Education and Research Council

Collapse to view only § 6404. Propane Education and Research Council

§ 3901. Definitions
§ 3902. Risk retention groups
§ 3903. Purchasing groups
§ 3904. Securities laws
§ 3905. Clarification concerning permissible State authority
§ 3906. Injunctive orders issued by United States district courts
§ 6401. Findings
§ 6402. Definitions
§ 6403. Referenda
§ 6404. Propane Education and Research Council
§ 6405. Assessments
§ 6406. Compliance
§ 6407. Lobbying restrictions
§ 6408. Market survey and consumer protection
§ 6409. Pricing
§ 6410. Relation to other programs
§ 6411. Reports

§ 3901. Definitions

(a) As used in this chapter—

(1) “insurance” means primary insurance, excess insurance, reinsurance, surplus lines insurance, and any other arrangement for shifting and distributing risk which is determined to be insurance under applicable State or Federal law;

(2) “liability”—

(A) means legal liability for damages (including costs of defense, legal costs and fees, and other claims expenses) because of injuries to other persons, damage to their property, or other damage or loss to such other persons resulting from or arising out of—

(i) any business (whether profit or nonprofit), trade, product, services (including professional services), premises, or operations, or

(ii) any activity of any State or local government, or any agency or political subdivision thereof; and

(B) does not include personal risk liability and an employer’s liability with respect to its employees other than legal liability under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (45 U.S.C. 51 et seq.);

(3) “personal risk liability” means liability for damages because of injury to any person, damage to property, or other loss or damage resulting from any personal, familial, or household responsibilities or activities, rather than from responsibilities or activities referred to in paragraphs (2)(A) and (2)(B);

(4) “risk retention group” means any corporation or other limited liability association—

(A) whose primary activity consists of assuming, and spreading all, or any portion, of the liability exposure of its group members;

(B) which is organized for the primary purpose of conducting the activity described under subparagraph (A);

(i) is chartered or licensed as a liability insurance company under the laws of a State and authorized to engage in the business of insurance under the laws of such State; or

(ii) before January 1, 1985, was chartered or licensed and authorized to engage in the business of insurance under the laws of Bermuda or the Cayman Islands and, before such date, had certified to the insurance commissioner of at least one State that it satisfied the capitalization requirements of such State, except that any such group shall be considered to be a risk retention group only if it has been engaged in business continuously since such date and only for the purpose of continuing to provide insurance to cover product liability or completed operations liability (as such terms were defined in this section before October 27, 1986);

(D) which does not exclude any person from membership in the group solely to provide for members of such a group a competitive advantage over such a person;

(E) which—

(i) has as its owners only persons who comprise the membership of the risk retention group and who are provided insurance by such group; or

(ii) has as its sole owner an organization which has as—(I) its members only persons who comprise the membership of the risk retention group; and(II) its owners only persons who comprise the membership of the risk retention group and who are provided insurance by such group;

(F) whose members are engaged in businesses or activities similar or related with respect to the liability to which such members are exposed by virtue of any related, similar, or common business, trade, product, services, premises, or operations;

(G) whose activities do not include the provision of insurance other than—

(i) liability insurance for assuming and spreading all or any portion of the similar or related liability exposure of its group members; and

(ii) reinsurance with respect to the similar or related liability exposure of any other risk retention group (or any member of such other group) which is engaged in businesses or activities so that such group (or member) meets the requirement described in subparagraph (F) for membership in the risk retention group which provides such reinsurance; and

(H) the name of which includes the phrase “Risk Retention Group”.1

1 So in original. The period probably should be a semicolon.

(5) “purchasing group” means any group which—

(A) has as one of its purposes the purchase of liability insurance on a group basis;

(B) purchases such insurance only for its group members and only to cover their similar or related liability exposure, as described in subparagraph (C);

(C) is composed of members whose businesses or activities are similar or related with respect to the liability to which members are exposed by virtue of any related, similar, or common business, trade, product, services, premises, or operations; and

(D) is domiciled in any State;

(6) “State” means any State of the United States or the District of Columbia; and

(7) “hazardous financial condition” means that, based on its present or reasonably anticipated financial condition, a risk retention group is unlikely to be able—

(A) to meet obligations to policyholders with respect to known claims and reasonably anticipated claims; or

(B) to pay other obligations in the normal course of business.

(b) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to affect either the tort law or the law governing the interpretation of insurance contracts of any State, and the definitions of liability, personal risk liability, and insurance under any State law shall not be applied for the purposes of this chapter, including recognition or qualification of risk retention groups or purchasing groups.

(Pub. L. 97–45, § 2, Sept. 25, 1981, 95 Stat. 949; Pub. L. 98–193, Dec. 1, 1983, 97 Stat. 1344; Pub. L. 99–563, §§ 3, 4, 12(b), Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3170, 3171, 3177.)

§ 3902. Risk retention groups

(a) Exemptions from State laws, rules, regulations, or ordersExcept as provided in this section, a risk retention group is exempt from any State law, rule, regulation, or order to the extent that such law, rule, regulation, or order would—

(1) make unlawful, or regulate, directly or indirectly, the operation of a risk retention group except that the jurisdiction in which it is chartered may regulate the formation and operation of such a group and any State may require such a group to—

(A) comply with the unfair claim settlement practices law of the State;

(B) pay, on a nondiscriminatory basis, applicable premium and other taxes which are levied on admitted insurers and surplus lines insurers, brokers, or policyholders under the laws of the State;

(C) participate, on a nondiscriminatory basis, in any mechanism established or authorized under the law of the State for the equitable apportionment among insurers of liability insurance losses and expenses incurred on policies written through such mechanism;

(D) register with and designate the State insurance commissioner as its agent solely for the purpose of receiving service of legal documents or process;

(E) submit to an examination by the State insurance commissioners in any State in which the group is doing business to determine the group’s financial condition, if—

(i) the commissioner of the jurisdiction in which the group is chartered has not begun or has refused to initiate an examination of the group; and

(ii) any such examination shall be coordinated to avoid unjustified duplication and unjustified repetition;

(F) comply with a lawful order issued—

(i) in a delinquency proceeding commenced by the State insurance commissioner if there has been a finding of financial impairment under subparagraph (E); or

(ii) in a voluntary dissolution proceeding;

(G) comply with any State law regarding deceptive, false, or fraudulent acts or practices, except that if the State seeks an injunction regarding the conduct described in this subparagraph, such injunction must be obtained from a court of competent jurisdiction;

(H) comply with an injunction issued by a court of competent jurisdiction, upon a petition by the State insurance commissioner alleging that the group is in hazardous financial condition or is financially impaired; and

(I) provide the following notice, in 10-point type, in any insurance policy issued by such group:

“notice

“This policy is issued by your risk retention group. Your risk retention group may not be subject to all of the insurance laws and regulations of your State. State insurance insolvency guaranty funds are not available for your risk retention group.”

(2) require or permit a risk retention group to participate in any insurance insolvency guaranty association to which an insurer licensed in the State is required to belong;

(3) require any insurance policy issued to a risk retention group or any member of the group to be countersigned by an insurance agent or broker residing in that State; or

(4) otherwise, discriminate against a risk retention group or any of its members, except that nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the applicability of State laws generally applicable to persons or corporations.

(b) Scope of exemptionsThe exemptions specified in subsection (a) apply to laws governing the insurance business pertaining to—

(1) liability insurance coverage provided by a risk retention group for—

(A) such group; or

(B) any person who is a member of such group;

(2) the sale of liability insurance coverage for a risk retention group; and

(3) the provision of—

(A) insurance related services;

(B) management, operations, and investment activities; or

(C) loss control and claims administration (including loss control and claims administration services for uninsured risks retained by any member of such group);

for a risk retention group or any member of such group with respect to liability for which the group provides insurance.

(d) Documents for submission to State insurance commissionersEach risk retention group shall submit—

(1) to the insurance commissioner of the State in which it is chartered—

(A) before it may offer insurance in any State, a plan of operation or a feasibility study which includes the coverages, deductibles, coverage limits, rates, and rating classification systems for each line of insurance the group intends to offer; and

(B) revisions of such plan or study if the group intends to offer any additional lines of liability insurance;

(2) to the insurance commissioner of each State in which it intends to do business, before it may offer insurance in such State—

(A) a copy of such plan or study (which shall include the name of the State in which it is chartered and its principal place of business); and

(B) a copy of any revisions to such plan or study, as provided in paragraph (1)(B) (which shall include any change in the designation of the State in which it is chartered); and

(3) to the insurance commissioner of each State in which it is doing business, a copy of the group’s annual financial statement submitted to the State in which the group is chartered as an insurance company, which statement shall be certified by an independent public accountant and contain a statement of opinion on loss and loss adjustment expense reserves made by—

(A) a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, or

(B) a qualified loss reserve specialist.

(e) Power of courts to enjoin conductNothing in this section shall be construed to affect the authority of any Federal or State court to enjoin—

(1) the solicitation or sale of insurance by a risk retention group to any person who is not eligible for membership in such group; or

(2) the solicitation or sale of insurance by, or operation of, a risk retention group that is in hazardous financial condition or is financially impaired.

(f) State powers to enforce State laws

(1) Subject to the provisions of subsection (a)(1)(G) (relating to injunctions) and paragraph (2), nothing in this chapter shall be construed to affect the authority of any State to make use of any of its powers to enforce the laws of such State with respect to which a risk retention group is not exempt under this chapter.

(2) If a State seeks an injunction regarding the conduct described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (e), such injunction must be obtained from a Federal or State court of competent jurisdiction.

(g) States’ authority to sue

(h) State authority to regulate or prohibit ownership interests in risk retention groups

(Pub. L. 97–45, § 3, Sept. 25, 1981, 95 Stat. 950; Pub. L. 99–563, §§ 5, 7, 8(a), 12(c), Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3172, 3175, 3178.)

§ 3903. Purchasing groups

(a) Exemptions from State laws, rules, regulations, or ordersExcept as provided in this section and section 3905 of this title, a purchasing group is exempt from any State law, rule, regulation, or order to the extent that such law, rule, regulation, or order would—

(1) prohibit the establishment of a purchasing group;

(2) make it unlawful for an insurer to provide or offer to provide insurance on a basis providing, to a purchasing group or its members, advantages, based on their loss and expense experience, not afforded to other persons with respect to rates, policy forms, coverages, or other matters;

(3) prohibit a purchasing group or its members from purchasing insurance on the group basis described in paragraph (2) of this subsection;

(4) prohibit a purchasing group from obtaining insurance on a group basis because the group has not been in existence for a minimum period of time or because any member has not belonged to the group for a minimum period of time;

(5) require that a purchasing group must have a minimum number of members, common ownership or affiliation, or a certain legal form;

(6) require that a certain percentage of a purchasing group must obtain insurance on a group basis;

(7) require that any insurance policy issued to a purchasing group or any members of the group be countersigned by an insurance agent or broker residing in that State; or

(8) otherwise discriminate against a purchasing group or any of its members.

(b) Scope of exemptionsThe exemptions specified in subsection (a) apply to—

(1) liability insurance provided to—

(A) a purchasing group; or

(B) any person who is a member of a purchasing group; and

(2) the provision of—

(A) liability coverage;

(B) insurance related services; or

to a purchasing group or member of the group.

(d) Notice to State insurance commissioners of intent to do business

(1) A purchasing group which intends to do business in any State shall furnish notice of such intention to the insurance commissioner of such State. Such notice—

(A) shall identify the State in which such group is domiciled;

(B) shall specify the lines and classifications of liability insurance which the purchasing group intends to purchase;

(C) shall identify the insurance company from which the group intends to purchase insurance and the domicile of such company; and

(D) shall identify the principal place of business of the group.

(2) Such purchasing group shall notify the commissioner of any such State as to any subsequent changes in any of the items provided in such notice.

(e) Designation of agent for service of documents and processA purchasing group shall register with and designate the State insurance commissioner of each State in which it does business as its agent solely for the purpose of receiving service of legal documents or process, except that such requirement shall not apply in the case of a purchasing group—

(1) which—

(A) was domiciled before April 1, 1986; and

(B) is domiciled on and after October 27, 1986; 1

1 See Codification note below.

in any State of the United States;

(2) which—

(A) before September 25, 1981, purchased insurance from an insurance carrier licensed in any State; and

(B) since September 25, 1981, purchases its insurance from an insurance carrier licensed in any State;

(3) which was a purchasing group under the requirements of this chapter before October 27, 1986; and

(4) as long as such group does not purchase insurance that was not authorized for purposes of an exemption under this chapter as in effect before October 27, 1986.

(f) Purchases of insurance through licensed agents or brokers acting pursuant to surplus lines laws

(g) State powers to enforce State laws

(h) States’ authority to sue

(Pub. L. 97–45, § 4, Sept. 25, 1981, 95 Stat. 951; Pub. L. 99–563, §§ 6, 8(b), 12(d), Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3174, 3175, 3178.)

§ 3904. Securities laws

(a) Ownership interest of members in risk retention groups

The ownership interests of members in a risk retention group shall be—

(1) considered to be exempted securities for purposes of section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933 [15 U.S.C. 77e] and for purposes of section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 [15 U.S.C. 78l]; and

(2) considered to be securities for purposes of the provisions of section 17 of the Securities Act of 1933 [15 U.S.C. 77q] and the provisions of section 10 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 [15 U.S.C. 78j].

(b) Investment companies

(Pub. L. 97–45, § 5, Sept. 25, 1981, 95 Stat. 952.)

§ 3905. Clarification concerning permissible State authority

(a) No exemption from State motor vehicle no-fault and motor vehicle financial responsibility laws

(b) Applicability of exemptions

(d) State authority to specify acceptable means of demonstrating financial responsibility

(Pub. L. 97–45, § 6, as added Pub. L. 99–563, § 8(c), Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3175.)

§ 3906. Injunctive orders issued by United States district courts

Any district court of the United States may issue an order enjoining a risk retention group from soliciting or selling insurance, or operating, in any State (or in all States) or in any territory or possession of the United States upon a finding of such court that such group is in hazardous financial condition. Such order shall be binding on such group, its officers, agents, and employees, and on any other person acting in active concert with any such officer, agent, or employee, if such other person has actual notice of such order.

(Pub. L. 97–45, § 7, as added Pub. L. 99–563, § 9, Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3176.)

§ 6401. Findings

The Congress finds that—

(1) propane gas, or liquefied petroleum gas, is an essential energy commodity providing heat, hot water, cooking fuel, and motor fuel among its many uses to millions of Americans;

(2) the use of propane is especially important to rural citizens and farmers, offering an efficient and economical source of gas energy;

(3) propane has been recognized as a clean fuel and can contribute in many ways to reducing the pollution in our cities and towns; and

(4) propane is primarily domestically produced and its use provides energy security and jobs for Americans.

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 2, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3370.)

§ 6402. Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter—

(1) the term “Council” means a Propane Education and Research Council created pursuant to section 6403 of this title;

(2) the term “industry” means those persons involved in the production, transportation, and sale of propane, and in the manufacture and distribution of propane utilization equipment, in the United States;

(3) the term “industry trade association” means an organization exempt from tax, under section 501(c)(3) or (6) of title 26, representing the propane industry;

(4) the term “odorized propane” means propane which has had odorant added to it;

(5) the term “producer” means the owner of propane at the time it is recovered at a gas processing plant or refinery;

(6) the term “propane” means a hydrocarbon whose chemical composition is predominantly C3H8, whether recovered from natural gas or crude oil, and includes liquefied petroleum gases and mixtures thereof;

(7) the term “public member” means a member of the Council, other than a representative of producers or retail marketers, representing significant users of propane, public safety officials, academia, the propane research community, or other groups knowledgeable about propane;

(8) the term “qualified industry organization” means the National Propane Gas Association, the Gas Processors Association, a successor association of such associations, or a group of retail marketers or producers who collectively represent at least 25 percent of the volume of propane sold or produced in the United States;

(9) the term “retail marketer” means a person engaged primarily in the sale of odorized propane to the ultimate consumer or to retail propane dispensers;

(10) the term “retail propane dispenser” means a person who sells odorized propane to the ultimate consumer but is not engaged primarily in the business of such sales; and

(11) the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Energy.

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 3, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3370.)

§ 6403. Referenda

(a) Creation of program

(b) Termination

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 4, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3371.)

§ 6404. Propane Education and Research Council

(a) Selection of members

(b) Representation

In selecting members of the Council, the qualified industry organizations shall give due regard to selecting a Council that is representative of the industry, including representation of—

(1) gas processors and oil refiners among producers;

(2) interstate and intrastate operators among retail marketers;

(3) large and small companies among producers and retail marketers, including agricultural cooperatives; and

(4) diverse geographic regions of the country.

(d) Compensation

(e) Terms

(f) Functions

(g) Use of funds

(h) Priorities

(i) Administration

(j) Administrative expenses

(1) The administrative expenses of operating the Council (not including costs incurred in the collection of the assessment pursuant to section 6406 of this title) plus amounts paid under paragraph (2) shall not exceed 10 percent of the funds collected in any fiscal year.

(2) The Council shall annually reimburse the Secretary for costs incurred by the Federal Government relating to the Council, except that such reimbursement for any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount that the Secretary determines is the average annual salary of two employees of the Department of Energy.

(k) Budget

(l) Records; audits

(m) Public access to Council proceedings

(1) All meetings of the Council shall be open to the public after at least 30 days advance public notice.

(2) The minutes of all meetings of the Council shall be made available to and readily accessible by the public.

(n) Annual report

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 5, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3371; Pub. L. 113–269, § 2(a), Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2947.)

§ 6405. Assessments

(a) Amount

(b) Ownership

(d) Investment of funds

(e) State programs

The Council shall establish a program coordinating the operation of the Council with those of any State propane education and research council created by State law or regulation, or similar entity. Such coordination shall include a joint or coordinated assessment collection process, a reduced assessment, or an assessment rebate. A reduced assessment or rebate shall be 20 percent of the regular assessment collected in that State under this section. Assessment rebates shall be paid only to—

(1) a State propane education and research council created by State law or regulation that meets requirements established by the Council for specific programs approved by the Council; or

(2) a similar entity, such as a foundation established by the retail propane gas industry in that State, that meets requirements established by the Council for specific programs approved by the Council.

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 6, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3374.)

§ 6406. Compliance

The Council may bring suit in Federal court to compel compliance with an assessment levied by the Council under this chapter. A successful action for compliance under this section may also require payment by the defendant of the costs incurred by the Council in bringing such action.

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 7, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3374.)

§ 6407. Lobbying restrictions

No funds collected by the Council shall be used in any manner for influencing legislation or elections, except that the Council may recommend to the Secretary changes in this chapter or other statutes that would further the purposes of this chapter.

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 8, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3375.)

§ 6408. Market survey and consumer protection

(a) Price analysis

(b) Authority to restrict activities

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 9, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3375; Pub. L. 113–269, § 2(b), Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2947.)

§ 6409. Pricing

In all cases, the price of propane shall be determined by market forces. Consistent with the antitrust laws, the Council may take no action, nor may any provision of this chapter be interpreted as establishing an agreement to pass along to consumers the cost of the assessment provided for in section 6405 of this title.

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 10, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3375.)

§ 6410. Relation to other programs

Nothing in this chapter may be construed to preempt or supersede any other program relating to propane education and research organized and operated under the laws of the United States or any State.

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 11, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3375.)

§ 6411. Reports

Within 2 years after October 11, 1996, and at least once every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary of Commerce shall prepare and submit to the Congress and the Secretary a report examining whether operation of the Council, in conjunction with the cumulative effects of market changes and Federal programs, has had an effect on propane consumers, including residential, agriculture, process, and nonfuel users of propane. The Secretary of Commerce shall consider and, to the extent practicable, shall include in the report submissions by propane consumers, and shall consider whether there have been long-term and short-term effects on propane prices as a result of Council activities and Federal programs, and whether there have been changes in the proportion of propane demand attributable to various market segments. To the extent that the report demonstrates that there has been an adverse effect, the Secretary of Commerce shall include recommendations for correcting the situation. Upon petition by affected parties or upon request by the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Commerce may prepare and submit the report required by this section at less than 2-year intervals.

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 12, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3375.)