(a)
The commissioner may, from time to time as conditions warrant, after notice and hearing, promulgate such reasonable rules and regulations, and amendments and additions thereto, as are necessary or advisable, to establish and maintain a procedure for the filing and approval of documents, as defined in this section, prior to their issuance, delivery, or use in this state, in lieu of the requirements of submission, filing, or approval for the documents presently provided in Section 10205, 10205.5, 10205.6, 10225, 10270, 10270.1, 10270.57, 10270.9, 10270.91, 10270.92, 10270.93, 10290, 10292, 11066, 11069, 11513, 11513.1, 11513.2, 11515, or 11658. For purposes of this section, “document” includes, but is not limited to, every form of contract, insurance policy, application, rider, endorsement, amendment, insert policy page, certificate, or other evidence or notice of insurance, fill-in material, schedules of rates and classifications of risks, and any modification to any document, which is subject to the requirements of any of the enumerated sections.
(b)
Any such rule or regulation shall be promulgated in accordance with the procedure provided in Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(c)
In promulgating any such rule or regulation, the commissioner may give consideration to the following circumstances:
(1)
Whether all such documents, the submission, filing, or approval of which is governed by any of the foregoing enumerated sections, or only a portion thereof described in the rule or regulation, shall be subject thereto.
(2)
Whether certain documents or portions thereof should be regulated in respect of submission, filing, or approval in a fashion differing from similar requirements applicable to other documents.
(3)
Whether varying procedures may be made applicable among admitted insurers in respect of the submission, filing or approval predicated, in whole or in part, upon such factors as the age and size of the submitting insurer, the period of its licensing in this state for the class or classes of insurance represented by the documents, the nature and number of prior submissions of similar documents and the disposition thereof by the commissioner, and similar criteria which is relevant to a determination that the submitting insurer has demonstrated compliance with all applicable statutes, rules, and regulations relating to documents comprising prior submissions.
(d)
In promulgating any such rules and regulations, the commissioner shall, so far as practical, describe or define certain provisions: (1) which the commissioner will authorize without review when accompanied by a certification prescribed by him or her by rule, and (2) which the commissioner will under no circumstances approve.
(e)
The commissioner shall establish a period of time, not shorter than one year, during which any change in the provisions which pursuant to subdivision (d), he or she has provided he or she will under no circumstances approve, will not apply to policies filed prior to the effective date of the change.
(f)
Except as otherwise provided in this section any document approved by the commissioner pursuant to rules and regulations authorized by this section may have its approval withdrawn in accordance with subdivision (d) of Section 10291.5 or Section 12957, whichever is applicable.