How the NAIC Works
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Through the NAIC, state insurance regulators coordinate on shared priorities, develop standards and model laws, exchange expertise, and strengthen insurance oversight while retaining regulatory authority in their own jurisdictions.
Understanding Leadership and Decision-Making
The chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories lead the NAIC. They set priorities, direct committee work, and make policy decisions. They set priorities, direct committee work, and make policy decisions. Learn how the organization is structured, how decisions are made, and how stakeholders can participate in the process.
Who Makes Policy Decisions?
Chief insurance regulators lead and govern the NAIC and make its policy decisions. They establish organizational priorities, lead committees, and oversee the association’s work. The NAIC's officers are state insurance regulators elected by their peers. The NAIC's CEO reports to the Executive Committee, a group of NAIC members.
What Is the Role of NAIC Staff?
NAIC staff support the work of state insurance regulators through research, policy analysis, and legal, technical, data, and operational expertise. Staff facilitate and support the regulatory process but do not set or vote on insurance regulatory policy.
How Does the NAIC Committee Process Work?
The NAIC's committee system is led by state insurance regulators. Committees, task forces, and working groups study issues, develop proposals, review stakeholder feedback, and vote through a structured process.
How Can the Public Participate?
State insurance regulators encourage stakeholder engagement throughout the policymaking process. Opportunities for participation include open meetings, posted materials, exposure drafts, written comments, and public discussions.
Roles, Responsibilities, and Support
Learn about state leadership, shared resources, and staff support.
The NAIC is led by state insurance regulators. Its members are the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. The state-based system allows insurance regulations to be tailored to the unique markets and risks of each state, while promoting coordination and uniformity through the NAIC. This approach supports effective oversight of financial solvency and other areas where consistent regulatory standards are particularly important for large national and international insurers. NAIC staff and management support state-regulator-led work with research, policy analysis as well as legal, technical, data, and operational expertise. They do not set policy.
Each state retains its full authority and autonomy to oversee insurers, enforce its laws, and make decisions for its own market and residents.
No. NAIC staff provide professional, technical, and operational support to help state insurance regulators carry out their work. Staff do not make policy decisions or vote on NAIC proposals. Instead, they help regulators evaluate issues, manage complex projects, develop resources and support the day-to-day work of the state-based insurance regulatory system.
NAIC staff expertise includes:
Research and policy analysis: Monitoring insurance market trends, emerging risks, and regulatory developments to help state regulators assess issues and options.
Legal and technical support: Assisting regulator-led groups with drafting, review, and technical analysis for model laws, model regulations, guidelines, handbooks, and other regulatory tools.
Data, financial, and market analysis: Supporting state regulators with data collection, financial reporting, solvency monitoring, market analysis, and other information used in insurance oversight
The Committee Process
At the NAIC, state regulators work through committees, task forces, and working groups focused on issues such as financial oversight, market conduct, consumer protection, health, life, property and casualty insurance, and international matters.
Though state regulators approve model laws at Plenary, state regulators then work with their legislators or other state-specific processes to determine whether and how a proposal should be adopted.
The Framework for Regulatory Decision-Making
State insurance regulators organize much of the NAIC’s work through committees, task forces, working groups, and Plenary. Committees broadly oversee major areas of insurance regulation. Task forces focus on specific issues. Working groups do detailed research, drafting, and review. Task forces and working groups operate under the umbrella of the appropriate committee. Plenary is the gathering of the full NAIC membership and acts on matters that need approval by the chief state insurance regulators.
An issue or proposal may move through one or more working groups, task forces, and committees before reaching the Executive Committee and Plenary for consideration and approval, when required. This process helps state insurance regulators study issues, receive public feedback, and make decisions through discussion and voting.
What These Groups Do
- Study current and emerging insurance issues.
- Review data, research, and market developments.
- Develop model laws, model regulations, guidelines, and other regulatory tools.
- Gather input from consumer representatives, industry participants, academics, and other interested parties.
- Coordinate regulatory practices and sharing expertise among states.
- Make recommendations and vote on work products within their authority.
How Regulatory Work Moves Forward
State insurance regulators carry out NAIC work through several groups, each playing a different role in researching issues, developing proposals, and making decisions.
Plenary
The full NAIC membership that acts on matters requiring membership approval.
Committee
Oversees a broad area of insurance regulation.
Task Force
Focuses on a specific issue or initiative.
Working Group
Conducts detailed research, drafting, and technical review.
Public Participation and Regulatory Outcomes
Learn how the public can engage in the process, how proposals move through the NAIC, and how model laws and shared resources support insurance regulation.
The NAIC committee process provides interested parties and other members of the public with opportunities to follow state insurance regulators’ work and share their perspectives and expertise. Depending on the project, the process may include exposure drafts, public meetings, and posted materials.
Attend public meetings, both in-person and virtual.
Read published meeting agendas and minutes, project histories, stakeholder presentations, and supporting materials, including received comments.
Review draft proposals.
Share their written and verbal feedback on proposals during public comment periods.
In a system built on collaboration and coordination, public feedback helps inform the work. State insurance regulators review that input before making their final decisions as they consider how a proposal may affect consumers and markets.
Each initiative is different, but many NAIC projects follow these basic steps:
Issue identification: State regulators identify a shared challenge, an emerging risk, or an opportunity to further enhance oversight.
Research and discussion: A state-regulator-led group examines the issue, reviews data, and considers possible approaches.
Draft development: The group develops a proposed model law or regulation, guideline, standard, white paper, or other work product.
Public input: When applicable, drafts are published, and interested parties are invited to comment.
Regulator deliberation and revision: Regulators assess the feedback and determine whether changes are appropriate.
Committee review and voting: The proposal moves through the required regulator-led groups for consideration and approval. If a matter requires a vote by the full NAIC membership, it takes place at Plenary.
State action: When state adoption is required, each jurisdiction decides whether and how to enact such proposals under its own laws and procedures.
State insurance regulators develop NAIC model laws and model regulations through a transparent, state-based process designed to promote national uniformity and consistency across states, where appropriate.
The drafting process includes public meetings and exposure periods during which proposed drafts are available for public review and comment. Feedback from interested parties helps inform the development of the model before it is considered for adoption.
An NAIC model law or model regulation is not binding federal law and does not automatically apply in any state. Each state determines whether and how to adopt a model through its own legislative or regulatory process and timeline.
A model law generally provides statutory language for consideration by state legislatures, while a model regulation provides more detailed requirements or procedures to implement or administer a law. Both support greater national uniformity while preserving state authority over insurance regulation.