Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solicitor Gift Limits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bill would raise gift limit for life and health solicitors from $5 to $50 for parity with property lines
Summary
Representative Aragona and industry witnesses told the House Insurance Committee HB 4179 raises the statutory gift limit for life and health solicitors from $5 to $50, aligning it with property and casualty rules and reflecting inflationary changes since 1986.
Representative Aragona reintroduced House Bill 4179 on behalf of insurers and producer groups, saying the bill would raise the allowable value of a gift a life or health insurance solicitor may give an applicant from $5 to $50 to match property and casualty solicitor limits.
Aragona told the committee the $5 limit was anachronistic, noting it dates to 1986 and that the higher $50 threshold for property and casualty producers was adopted in 2018. "If I add caramel syrup, it's $5.35, and I'd be in violation," Chuck May, Government Affairs Chair for NAIFA Michigan, quipped during testimony to illustrate the practical effect of the old limit.
Chuck May and other industry witnesses, including NAIFA Michigan, testified in support, saying the change is intended to provide parity across license types and to adjust for cost-of-living increases rather than to encourage improper inducements. May emphasized NAIFA supports gift limits generally and framed $50 as a reasonable ceiling.
Committee members asked how the $50 figure was chosen; witnesses said it was largely adopted to match the property and casualty limit and noted there is not a single technical formula behind the number. The committee read several support cards for the bill from industry groups and individuals.
No committee vote occurred on HB 4179 during the hearing.
