IIABA officials said another priority is to persuade Congress to deal with natural disaster legislation on a comprehensive basis.

“We will support any solution that allows our members to serve consumers with natural disaster coverage, whether that means a federal backstop, tax-free reserving, catastrophic savings accounts or some combination approach,” said Charles E. Symington Jr., IIABA senior vice president for government affairs and federal relations.

Regarding producer licensing, the IIABA said it supports targeted federal legislation to streamline the licensing process and to implement uniformity.

Another of the association's big objectives is to address the requirements in many states that force an insurance agent to obtain three licenses (an individual license, an entity license and a corporate registration) before placing business in a particular jurisdiction, its officials said.

Wesley Bissett, IIABA senior vice president for government affairs and state relations, said the trade group wants all jurisdictions to issue and renew producer licenses on a truly reciprocal basis and to implement uniformity in key areas.

“Many states claim to have enacted reciprocity and other reforms in the early part of the decade, but that reform effort has not produced meaningful results for many agents,” Mr. Bissett said. “The IIABA supports targeted federal legislation to streamline the licensing process and to implement uniformity.

Regarding incentive compensation, the IIABA leadership voiced concern “that some attorneys general are usurping the authority of state regulators and legislators and using legal settlements as vehicles for imposing costly and unnecessary requirements and altogether banning forms of legal incentive compensation.

“As advocates of effective insurance regulation, the IIABA “strongly objects to the manner in which some attorneys general have strong-armed insurers into accepting settlement agreements,” said Debra Perkins, IIABA executive vice president and general counsel. “Insurers need to determine how to compensate producers for sales and service excellence.”