A.(1)  An insurer or insurance producer shall not pay, directly or indirectly, any commission, service fee, brokerage, or other valuable consideration  to any person or entity for selling, soliciting, or negotiating insurance in this state unless such person or entity holds a valid license as required by law.

(2)  No person or business entity other than a person or business entity duly licensed by the Department of Insurance as an insurance producer shall accept any commission, service fee, brokerage, or other valuable consideration for selling, soliciting, or negotiating insurance in this state.

(3)  Renewal or other deferred commissions may be paid to a person for selling, soliciting, or negotiating insurance in this state if the person was required to be licensed under this Subpart at the time of the sale, solicitation, or negotiation and was so licensed at that time.

(4)  An insurance producer may pay or assign commissions, service fees, brokerage fees or other valuable consideration to an insurance agency or to persons who are not licensed as producers in Louisiana but are licensed in their state of domicile and act only to assist producers licensed in this state in placing business with insurers authorized to do business in this state.

B.(1)  No member of an insurance advisory committee of any state agency, board, commission, or of any political subdivision of this state, including but not limited to school boards, levee boards, deep water port commissions, deep water port, harbor and terminal districts, and the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, shall split, pass on, or share with any insurance producer or other person who is not a member of his own firm or corporation and is not a member of such an insurance advisory committee, all or any portion of the commission derived by such committee from the purchase of insurance by such state agency, board, commission, or political subdivision of the state without express authorization by official action of such state agency, board, commission, or political subdivision of the state.  Any insurance producer or other person who is not a member of such firm or corporation and is not a member of such an insurance advisory committee who receives without authorization all or any portion of such commission shall also be in violation of this Subsection.

(2)  Any person who violates  the provisions of this Subsection shall, upon conviction, be fined not less than one thousand dollars, nor more than five thousand dollars per violation, or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both.

(3)  Any conviction for a violation of the provisions of this Subsection shall constitute grounds for suspension or revocation by the commissioner of insurance of the license of such insurance producer, in addition to those grounds of La. Rev. Stat. 22:1554.

C.  The commission paid by each fire, casualty, surety, fidelity, guaranty, and bonding insurer doing business in this state to its producers in this state shall be uniform and equal as to all classes of producers of such insurer throughout this state.

Acts 2001, No. 158, §1, eff. Jan.1, 2002; Redesignated from La. Rev. Stat. 22:1143 by Acts 2008, No. 415, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 967, §1; Acts 2011, No. 94, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2012.

NOTE:  Former La. Rev. Stat. 22:1557 redesignated as La. Rev. Stat. 22:2117 by Acts 2008, No. 415, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009.