Surety Bond News

Legislators in New Hampshire enacted new legislation concerning executor bonds. The new legislation is named HB 609 and states that when a person dies testate (with a valid will) and there is no surviving spouse leaving an only child as the sole beneficiary and administrator of an estate, a bond will not be required of the only child; this type of bond is meant to guarantee that the deceased’s will shall be carried out properly; in a case with an only child it’s not necessary to have a surety bond because there’s no threat of other beneficiaries in the will being deceitful.

Indiana public officials are affected by a new bill which alters the surety bond required of them. The bill is named HB 1025 and states that the surety bond required of public officials is no longer an annual bond. The SFAA realized that if the bond was annual it could make it cumulative throughout a public official’s term which would stack the amount bond every year, increasing the surety’s liability. Since the surety is financially backing the bond they are on the line should a public official not fulfill their responsibilities; and with a cumulative bond, the bond would increase every year but there would be no additional premium needed to be paid by the official. The Insurance Institute of Indiana agreed with the SFAA, ran with the bill and pushed it through the legislature.

Legislators in the State of Georgia have implemented a new surety bond bill concerning driver training schools. The new bill, which is titled HB 269, raises the current surety bond required of driver training schools from $2,500 to $10,000 in order for them to stay legal with the state. The higher bond amount provides four times the protection for anyone using services or doing business with driver training schools should a school not follow the rules set by the state.

Legislators in Oregon have made some changes to the existing surety bond requirement concerning landscape contractors. The new bill which applies the change is titled HB 2156 and affects landscape contractors with $15,000 bonds; the surety bond will now guarantee backflow assembly testing services provided by employees of the contractor; the contractor’s installation and upkeep of backflow assemblies for irrigation systems or ornamental water features; and the installation of irrigation control wiring and outdoor landscape lighting.

A new bond requirement has been added to Maryland state legislation. The new law, which is named SB 741/HB 1022, requires debt settlement service providers within the state to acquire a $50,000 surety bond in order to register with the state. The surety bond must be written by a state authorized surety company and debt settlement service providers must have one in order to operate legally.