N.Y.: Unifying insurance licensing without erasing agents or brokers

For years, insurance professionals in New York state have juggled separate licenses to operate as agents and brokers—costly, time-consuming and often redundant. A new bill (A.8065), introduced in April 2025 by Assemblymember Pamela Hunter, D-128, aims to fix this issue. By consolidating both licenses into a single producer license, the bill would offer a simpler, efficient future—without changing the core duties of either profession.

What is being proposed: A unified licensing framework

Under current New York state Insurance Law, individuals must apply for and maintain separate licenses—depending on whether they function as an insurance agent (representing insurers) or an insurance broker (representing clients). A.8065 would replace this bifurcated system with a single insurance producer license.

This means that whether individuals solicit insurance on behalf of carriers or help consumers shop for the best policy independently, they would operate under the same license. The intent of the bill is administrative efficiency—cutting down on bureaucratic hurdles and reducing redundancy in licensure requirements, exams and renewals.

Modern language and procedures

The bill would update numerous sections of the Insurance Law, replacing references to agent or broker with producer. Under this new designation, it also would align education, training and examination requirements for all licensees. Importantly, it would maintain the current high standards for prelicensing education and examination while also providing for reasonable exemptions and reciprocity with other states.

What the bill would not do

It’s critical to highlight that this bill would not eliminate the roles of insurance agents and brokers. The unification would affect licensing titles and administrative processes—not the functional definitions or responsibilities associated with each role.

Section 2101 of the amended Insurance Law makes it clear that nothing in the law changes the meanings of insurance agent and insurance broker as traditionally defined. Agents would still work closely with insurers, and brokers would continue to represent consumers’ interests. These professional identities and their associated duties would remain intact.

Implications for insurance professionals

Administrative simplicity. The unification of licenses would likely be a welcome change for many in the insurance industry. It would eliminate the need to maintain multiple licenses or navigate dual sets of continuing education and renewal requirements. One license, one process—it would be streamlined and more efficient.

Continuing compliance. Though the licensing title would change if this bill passes, the expectations for professionalism, training and consumer protection would remain unchanged. Insurance professionals still would need to meet rigorous standards to obtain and maintain their producer license.

Uniformity. One of the most impactful aspects of A.8065 would be its role in aligning New York state’s licensing structure with national standards. Currently, 48 other states and three U.S. territories already use the consolidated producer model. By joining this majority, New York not only would reduce regulatory complexity and compliance costs, but it also would enhance mobility for professionals licensed in multiple states.

The change would promote uniformity, clarity and efficiency across the industry, reducing confusion for both insurance professionals and the consumers they serve. In a highly interconnected and competitive marketplace, harmonizing licensing with national practices is a smart move that supports broader economic and regulatory goals.

Transitional provisions. The bill specifies that existing licenses would remain valid until they expire, and at that time, licensees would transition into the new system upon renewal. This would provide a smooth on-ramp for agents and brokers to adjust to the new structure without disruption to their work.

Final thoughts

A.8065 represents a modernization and simplification of New York state’s insurance licensing framework, not a dismantling of the agent and broker professions.

Insurance professionals should see this as an administrative shift—one that’s aimed at efficiency and alignment with broader industry trends. With clear assurances that the essential roles and functions of agents and brokers would remain unchanged, this bill would reinforce the continuing importance of these professionals in serving the state’s insurance market.

PIANY will continue to monitor this issue as it makes its way through the New York Legislature.

PIA offers members tools to help them succeed

Do you have an employee looking to become licensed? Are you thinking about getting a nonresident license yourself? Do you have questions about continuing education, renewals or requirements?

PIA Northeast members in Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York can access PIA’s Licensing Compliance Central for the latest information on licensing. They can find not only every detailed step of how to acquire a license, but also how to renew their license, what continuing education you need and dozens of other state-specific resources, including licensing rules and regulations. In addition to the information found in the links above, PIA members can access documents in the PIA QuickSource library: Multistate and Vermont.