SB166

SECTION 1. Section 431:19-108, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§431:19-108 Examinations, investigations, and financial surveillance[.]; certificate of exemption. (a) The commissioner or any authorized examiner may conduct an examination, investigation, or financial surveillance of any captive insurance company as often as the commissioner deems appropriate; provided that, unless exempt or the commissioner requires otherwise:

(1) An examination shall be conducted at least once every five years for all captive insurance companies, except as provided in paragraph (2); and

(2) An examination of a risk retention captive insurance company shall be conducted no later than three years after its formation and at least once every five years thereafter.

The commissioner or any authorized examiner shall thoroughly inspect and examine the captive insurance company's affairs to ascertain its financial condition, its ability to fulfill its obligations, and whether it has complied with this article.

(b) The powers, authorities, and duties relating to examinations vested in and imposed upon the commissioner under section 431:2-301 through section 431:2-307.5 of the code are extended to and imposed upon the commissioner in respect to examinations of captive insurance companies.

(c) All examination reports, preliminary examination reports or results, working papers, recorded information, documents, and copies [~~thereof~~] produced by, obtained by, or disclosed to the commissioner or any person in the course of an examination made under this section are confidential and are not subject to subpoena and may not be made public by the commissioner or an employee or agent of the commissioner without the written consent of the company, except to the extent provided in this subsection. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the commissioner from using information in furtherance of the commissioner's regulatory authority under this title. The commissioner may grant access to the information to public officers having jurisdiction over the regulation of insurance in any other state or country, or to law enforcement officers of this State or any other state or agency of the federal government at any time, so long as the officers receiving the information agree in writing to hold it in a manner consistent with this section.

(d) Each branch captive insurance company shall file annually with the commissioner a certificate of compliance issued by the insurance regulatory authority of the jurisdiction in which the outside captive insurance company of the branch captive insurance company is domiciled along with certified copies of any examination reports conducted of the outside captive insurance company by its domiciliary insurance regulator during the preceding calendar year. These filings shall be made with the commissioner by March 1 of each year. So long as the branch captive insurance company complies with the requirements of this subsection, and unless otherwise deemed necessary by the commissioner, any examination of the branch captive insurance company under this subsection shall be only with respect to the business underwritten by the branch captive insurance company in this State. If necessary, however, the commissioner may examine the outside captive insurance company of any branch captive insurance company licensed under this article.

(e) A captive insurance company may apply to the commissioner for a certificate of exemption from examination; provided that the captive insurance company applicant:

(1) Is not a risk retention captive insurance company;

(2) Has satisfactorily completed at least one examination under this section;

(3) Is in continuous compliance with all financial reporting requirements and all other provisions of this article; and

(4) Has demonstrated other good cause supporting its application for exemption from further examination.

(f) The commissioner may issue and renew a certificate of exemption from examination if the commissioner is satisfied with the captive insurance company's application for exemption.

(g) Unless previously revoked by the commissioner for good cause, a certificate of exemption from examination shall be valid for a term of no more than five years from the date the exemption became effective. A captive insurance company may apply to the commissioner for renewal of a certificate of exemption from examination no more than six months before the expiration date of the applicant's certificate of exemption."

SECTION 2. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	166
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII