(a) As used in this section and sections 38a-660a to 38a-660m, inclusive:

(1) “Build-up funds” means a percentage of the premium received by a surety bail bond agent for the execution of a bail bond, which are held in a trust account by the insurer or managing general agent;

(2) “Commissioner” means the Insurance Commissioner;

(3) “Disqualifying offense” means: (A) A felony; (B) a misdemeanor if an element of the offense involves dishonesty or misappropriation of money or property; or (C) a misdemeanor under section 21a-279, 53a-58, 53a-61, 53a-61a, 53a-62, 53a-63, 53a-96, 53a-173, 53a-175, 53a-176, 53a-178 or 53a-181d;

(4) “Estreatment” or “estreature” means the enforcement of a forfeiture of a bail bond due to a failure of the principal to comply with a lawful appearance in court and the court order forfeiting such bail bond;

(5) “Insurer” means any domestic, foreign or alien insurance company that has qualified generally to transact surety business in this state under the requirements of chapter 698 and specifically to transact bail bond business in this state;

(6) “License” means a surety bail bond agent license issued by the commissioner to a qualified individual as provided in this section;

(7) “Managing general agent” means any person appointed or employed by an insurer to supervise or otherwise manage the bail bond business written in this state by surety bail bond agents appointed by such insurer;

(8) “Solicit” includes any written or printed presentation or advertising made by mail or other publication, or any oral presentation or advertising in person or by means of telephone, radio or television which implies that an individual is licensed under this section, and any activity in arranging for bail which results in compensation to the individual conducting that activity; and

(9) “Surety bail bond agent” means any person who has been approved by the commissioner and appointed by an insurer by power of attorney to execute or countersign bail bonds for the insurer in connection with judicial proceedings.

(b) An insurer shall not execute an undertaking of bail in this state except by and through a person holding a license issued as provided in this section.

(c) A person shall not in this state solicit or negotiate in respect to execution or delivery of an undertaking of bail or bail bond on behalf of an insurer, or execute or deliver such an undertaking of bail or bail bond on behalf of an insurer unless licensed as provided in this section. No person engaged in law enforcement or vested with police powers shall be licensed as a surety bail bond agent. Any person who violates the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a class D felony.

(d) Only natural persons who are licensed under this section may execute bail bonds. A firm, partnership, association or corporation, desiring to execute an undertaking of bail in this state shall do so by and through a person holding a license issued as provided in this section.

(e) Any person desiring to act within this state as a surety bail bond agent shall make a written application to the commissioner for a license in such form and having such supporting documents as the commissioner prescribes. Each application shall be signed by the applicant and shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable filing fee as specified in section 38a-11. The applicant shall also submit with the application a complete set of the applicant's fingerprints, certified by an authorized law enforcement officer, and two recent credential-sized full-face photographs of the applicant. At the time of application, each applicant for a license shall forward a copy of the applicant's complete application and supporting documents to the Asset Forfeiture Bureau of the Office of the Chief State's Attorney.

(f) (1) Every applicant for a license shall file with the commissioner a notice of appointment executed by an insurer or its authorized representative authorizing such applicant to execute undertakings of bail and to solicit and negotiate such undertakings on its behalf.

(2) An appointment of a person as a surety bail bond agent by an insurer pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection shall constitute certification by such insurer that, to the best of the insurer's knowledge and belief, such person is competent, financially responsible and suitable to serve as a representative of the insurer. No person shall represent to the public that such person has the authority to represent an insurer as its surety bail bond agent until such person has been appointed by an insurer as such agent in accordance with this section. An insurer shall be bound by the acts of such person within the scope of such person's actual or apparent authority as such insurer's agent.

(3) (A) Each appointment shall, by its terms, continue in force until: (i) Termination of the surety bail bond agent's license; or (ii) the filing of a notice of termination with the commissioner by the insurer or its representative or by such surety bail bond agent.

(B) No such agent shall engage or attempt to engage in any activity requiring such an appointment after the termination of such agent's appointment. An insurer that terminates the appointment of a surety bail bond agent may (i) authorize such agent to take into custody a principal who has absconded for whom a bail bond had been executed prior to the termination of such agent's appointment, and (ii) seek discharge of forfeitures and judgments paid by such insurer on behalf of such agent prior to such agent's termination.

(g) An applicant for a license shall be required to appear in person and take a written examination testing the applicant's competency and qualifications to act as a surety bail bond agent. The commissioner may designate an independent testing service to prepare and administer such examination, provided any examination fees charged by such service shall be paid by the applicant. The commissioner shall collect the appropriate examination fee, which shall entitle the applicant to take the examination for the license, except when a testing service is used, the testing service shall pay such fee to the commissioner. In either case, such examination shall be as the commissioner prescribes and shall be of sufficient scope to test the applicant's knowledge of subjects pertinent to the duties and responsibilities of a surety bail bond agent, including all laws and regulations of this state applicable thereto.

(h) In addition to all other requirements prescribed in this section, each applicant for a license shall furnish satisfactory evidence to the commissioner that: (1) The applicant is at least eighteen years of age; (2) the applicant is a citizen of the United States; and (3) the applicant has never been convicted of a disqualifying offense. The commissioner shall require each applicant to submit to a background investigation, including an investigation of any prior criminal activity, to be conducted by the Division of Criminal Justice. The Division of Criminal Justice shall require each applicant to submit to state and national criminal history records checks. Such criminal history records checks shall be conducted in accordance with section 29-17a.

(i) Upon determining that an applicant meets the licensing requirements of this state and is in all respects properly qualified and trustworthy and that the granting of such license is not against the public interest, the commissioner may issue to such applicant, upon payment of the license fee, as specified in section 38a-11, the license applied for, in such form as he may adopt, to act within this state to the extent therein specified. Such license shall expire on January thirty-first of each even-numbered year.

(j) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, relating to the approval of schools offering courses in the duties and responsibilities of surety bail bond agents, the content of such courses and the advertising to the public of the services of these schools.

(k) (1) To further the enforcement of this section and sections 38a-660b to 38a-660m, inclusive, and to determine the eligibility of any licensee, the commissioner may, as often as the commissioner deems necessary, examine the books and records of any such licensee. Each person licensed as a surety bail bond agent in this state shall, on or before January thirty-first, annually, pay to the commissioner a fee of four hundred fifty dollars to cover the cost of examinations under this subsection.

(2) The fees received by the commissioner pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be dedicated to conducting the examinations under said subdivision (1) and shall be deposited in the account established under subdivision (3) of this subsection.

(3) There is established an account to be known as the “surety bail bond agent examination account”, which shall be a separate account within the Insurance Fund established under section 38a-52a. The account shall contain any moneys required by law to be deposited in the account and any such moneys remaining in the account at the close of the fiscal year shall be transferred to the General Fund.

(l) The commissioner may renew or continue a license upon payment of the appropriate fee, as specified in section 38a-11, without the resubmittal of the detailed information required in the original application.

(m) Each surety bail bond agent shall provide written notice:

(1) To the commissioner, the appointing insurer and the managing general agent of a change in such surety bail bond agent's business name, principal business address or telephone number, not later than thirty days after such change;

(2) To the commissioner of a change in such surety bail bond agent's name or residence address, not later than thirty days after such change; and

(3) To the commissioner of (A) any bankruptcy proceeding in this or another state concerning such surety bail bond agent, or (B) any administrative action taken or any administrative order entered against such agent in this or another state, not later than thirty days after such proceeding, action or order. The written notice required under this subdivision shall be accompanied by all supporting documentation.

(n) The insurer, managing general agent or surety bail bond agent shall notify the commissioner in writing not later than five days after receiving notice or learning that a surety bail bond agent has been arrested for, pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to, or been found guilty of, a disqualifying offense in this state or an offense in any other state for which the essential elements are substantially the same as a disqualifying offense, whether judgment was entered or withheld by a court.

(o) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting an individual's ability to operate as a professional bondsman in this state pursuant to chapter 533 provided such individual is in compliance with all requirements of said chapter.

(P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 96-164, S. 1; P.A. 97-287, S. 15; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1, S. 28–30, 121; P.A. 99-240, S. 24; P.A. 01-175, S. 30, 32; P.A. 11-45, S. 1; P.A. 18-137, S. 10.)

History: (Revisor's note: P.A. 88-230, 90-98, 93-142 and 95-220 authorized substitution of “judicial district of Hartford” for “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” in 1996 public and special acts, effective September 1, 1998); P.A. 97-287 amended Subsec. (c) to add penalty provision; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 substituted “or” for a comma in Subdiv. (f)(2), amended Subsec. (j) to substitute “responsibilities of” for “responsibilities to” re surety bail bond agents and amended Subsec. (n) to delete reference to appeals under Sec. 54-65a, effective June 24, 1998; P.A. 99-240 amended Subsec. (h) by eliminating exceptions to disqualification based on time elapsed since conviction and by listing the misdemeanors that would disqualify an applicant; P.A. 01-175 amended Subsec. (h) by replacing requirement that each applicant submit to a background investigation with provision re commissioner's requiring each applicant to submit to a background investigation, and replacing provision re Federal Bureau of Investigation and fees with provision re criminal history records checks pursuant to Sec. 29-17a, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 11-45 substantially revised section by adding definitions, appointment provisions, fees for examinations of books and records and notice requirements re certain changes or proceedings; P.A. 18-137 amended Subsec. (k)(3) to replace “separate, nonlapsing account” with “separate account”, effective July 1, 2018.