Art. 5.97. LINES OF INSURANCE FOR WHICH FILING IS REQUIRED.  (a)  The department may take action on filings for standard and uniform rates, rating plans, manual rules, classification plans, statistical plans, and policy and endorsement forms, or any modification of any of these for the lines of insurance regulated in Subchapter B, Chapter 5, of this code under the procedure specified in this article.
(b) Any interested person may initiate proceedings before the commissioner with respect to any matter specified in Section (a) of this article by filing a petition with the department that includes the following:
(1) specific identification of the matter that is proposed to be adopted, approved, amended, or repealed;
(2) the wording of the matter proposed to be adopted, approved, amended, or repealed;  and
(3) justification for the proposed action in sufficient particularity to inform the commissioner and any interested person of the petitioner's reasons and arguments.
(c) A copy of each petition initiating a proceeding shall be marked with the date it was received by the department and shall be made available for public inspection at the office of the chief clerk of the department throughout the period the petition is pending.  Except for emergency matters acted on under Section (j) of this article, the commissioner may not act on a petition until it has been available for public inspection for at least 15 days after the date of filing and notice has been given in accordance with this section.  Not later than the 10th day before the date the commissioner takes action on any rule, rating plan, classification plan, statistical plan, or policy or endorsement form under this article, the department shall publish in the Texas Register a brief summary of the substance of the proposed rule, rating plan, classification plan, statistical plan, or policy or endorsement form, and a statement that the full text of the rule, rating plan, classification plan, statistical plan, or policy or endorsement form is available for review in the office of the chief clerk of the department.
(d) Any interested person may request a hearing before the commissioner acts on a pending petition.  Except as provided by Article 5.97A of this code, the commissioner has discretion whether or not to hold such a hearing.
(e) Repealed by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 206, Sec. 21.47.
(f) The commissioner may hold a hearing to consider the proposal or may enter an order implementing or denying the proposal.  If the commissioner denies a proposal, the commissioner shall specify the reasons for the denial in the commissioner's order.
(g) On its own motion, the department may initiate a proceeding with respect to any matter specified in Section (a) of this article.
(h) If a hearing is scheduled to consider a proposal, the department shall publish notice in the Texas Register not less than 10 days before the hearing and shall state the time, place, and legal authority for the hearing and the matters to be considered.
(i) After entering an order with respect to any matter specified in Section (a) of this article, the department shall file a notice of the commissioner's action for publication in the adopted rule section of the Texas Register.  In addition, before the effective date of the action, the department shall cause notice of the order to be mailed to the applicant, to all insurers writing the affected line of insurance in this state, and to all other persons who have made timely written request for notification.  Failure to mail this notice will not invalidate any action taken.
(j) The commissioner's action takes effect 15 days after the date that notice of the action is published in the Texas Register or on a later specified date.  If the commissioner finds that an imminent peril to the public health, safety, or welfare, or a requirement of state or federal law, requires the commissioner's action to be effective before the end of the 15-day period, the commissioner may take emergency action to be effective at an earlier time.  The commissioner's action on an emergency matter may be effective for 120 days, and renewable once for a period not exceeding 60 days immediately following the 120-day period.  The permanent adoption of an identical change is not precluded.
(k) Any person aggrieved by an order of the commissioner is entitled to redress as provided by Article 5.23 of this code.
(l) Chapters 2001 and 2002, Government Code, do not apply to commissioner or department action taken under this article.
(m) The department or the office of public insurance counsel may require that a person who has filed a petition under Subsection (b) of this article or who has otherwise presented materials to the department in connection with a proceeding under this article provide additional information to the department or office, including any statistical, actuarial, or other information on which the petition or other materials were based.
(n) Notwithstanding Subsections (a) through (l) of this article, this article does not apply to a line of insurance subject to Article 5.13-2 of this code.
Added by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 1252, ch. 272, Sec. 1, eff. May 28, 1983.  Sec. (d) amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 1, Sec. 2.10, eff. Sept. 2, 1987;  Subsecs. (c), (j) amended by and Subsecs. (m), (n), added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 242, Sec. 2.43, eff. Sept. 1, 1991;  Subsec. (n) amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 984, Sec. 27, eff. Sept. 1, 1995;  Subsecs. (a) to (d), (f) to (m), amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 206, Sec. 21.32, eff. June 11, 2003;  Subsec. (e) amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 206, Sec. 21.47(7), eff. June 11, 2003.