40-241. Examination of individual applicants for agents' licenses; fee; classes of insurance; issuance of license, when; record of licenses issued and companies' agents certified to represent; auto rental agency insurance license. Any applicant or prospective applicant for an agent's license, if an individual, shall be given an examination by the commissioner or the commissioner's designee to determine whether such applicant possesses the competence and knowledge of the kinds of insurance and transactions under the license applied for, or to be applied for, of the duties and responsibilities of such a license and of the pertinent provisions of the laws of this state. The applicant shall be tested on each class or subclassification of insurance which may be written. An examination fee prescribed in rules and regulations adopted by the commissioner shall be paid by the applicant and shall be required for each class of insurance for each attempt to pass the examination. Such examination fee shall be in addition to the certification fee required under K.S.A. 40-252, and amendments thereto. There shall be four classes of insurance for the purposes of this act:

(1) Life;

(2) accident and health;

(3) casualty and allied lines; and

(4) property and allied lines.

An insurance license may be issued as a subclassification of casualty and allied lines to any auto rental agency. An auto rental agency may offer or sell insurance only in connection with and incidental to the rental of motor vehicles, whether at the rental office, at the point of delivery of a vehicle, or by preselection of coverage in a master, corporate or group rental agreement, in any of the following general categories: (1) Personal accident insurance covering risks of travel, (2) motor vehicle liability insurance, (3) personal effects insurance providing coverage to renters and other occupants of the motor vehicle, (4) roadside assistance and emergency sickness protection programs, and (5) any other travel or auto-related coverage an auto rental company may offer in connection with and incidental to rental of motor vehicles. No insurance may be issued by an auto rental agency unless the rental period of the rental agreement does not exceed 90 consecutive days and brochures and other written material clearly and correctly explaining insurance coverages offered by the agency are available for prospective renters and clear and complete disclosures are provided to prospective renters that such coverage may be duplicative of other insurance owned by the renter, that purchase of insurance coverage is not a condition for renting a motor vehicle and describing the process for filing a claim.

Auto rental agencies employing representatives shall conduct a training program for each representative, providing instruction on the kinds of insurance coverage offered by the agency.

No auto rental agency shall offer or solicit any insurance other than the coverages described in this section without an insurance license. No auto rental employee or auto rental agency shall advertise or otherwise hold themselves out as licensed insurers, insurance agents or insurance brokers.

The commissioner of insurance shall adopt rules and regulations with respect to the scope, subclassification, type and conduct of such examination. Examinations shall be given to applicants at least twice a month in Topeka, Kansas, and at least quarterly in other convenient locations in the state of Kansas. The commissioner shall publish or arrange for the publication of information and material which applicants can use to prepare for such examination. One or more rating organizations, advisory organizations or other associations may be designated by the commissioner to assist in, or assume responsibility for, distribution of the study manuals to applicants and other interested parties. Persons purchasing the study manual shall be charged a reasonable fee established or approved by the commissioner. In the event the publication and distribution of the study material or the development and conduct of examinations is delegated to private firms, organizations or associations and the state incurs no expense or obligation, the provisions of K.S.A. 75-3738 to 75-3744, inclusive, and amendments thereto, shall not apply. If the commissioner of insurance finds that the individual applicant is trustworthy, competent and has satisfactorily completed the examination, the commissioner shall forthwith issue to the applicant a license as an insurance agent but the issuance of such license shall confer no authority to transact business in this state until the agent has been certified by a company pursuant to K.S.A. 40-241i, and amendments thereto. If such applicant fails to satisfactorily complete the examination, the examination may be retaken following a waiting period of not less than seven days from the date of the last attempt. If the applicant again fails to satisfactorily complete the examination, it may be retaken following another waiting period of not less than seven days from the date of the most recent attempt. Thereafter, the examination may be retaken following a waiting period of not less than six months from the date of the most recent attempt, except that following a waiting period of two years from the date of the applicant's last examination attempt an applicant will be treated as a new applicant and new examination and waiting periods shall apply.

History: L. 1927, ch. 231, 40-241; L. 1931, ch. 204, § 1; L. 1963, ch. 261, § 2; L. 1971, ch. 162, § 1; L. 1978, ch. 164, § 3; L. 1982, ch. 193, § 1; L. 1982, ch. 194, § 1; L. 1986, ch. 171, § 1; L. 1988, ch. 151, § 3; L. 1989, ch. 131, § 2; L. 1992, ch. 19, § 2; L. 1996, ch. 45, § 2; L. 1999, ch. 91, § 3; L. 2004, ch. 159, § 1; May 27.