a. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations as to statistical plans, reasonably adapted to each of the rating systems on file with him, which may be modified from time to time and which shall be used thereafter by each insurer in the recording and reporting of its loss and countrywide expense experience, in order that the experience of all insurers may be made available at least annually in such form and detail as may be necessary to aid him in determining whether such rating systems comply with the standards set forth in this act. Such rules and regulations shall provide for the recording and reporting of loss experience of this State and of any combination of states where such combined experience is used in any manner for rate-making, and may provide for the recording and reporting of expense experience of this State for items of expense which are especially applicable to this State. In promulgating such rules and regulations the commissioner shall give due consideration to the rating systems on file with him and in order that such rules and regulations may be as uniform as is practicable among the several states, to the rules and statistical plans used for such rating systems in other states. The commissioner shall designate the format in which such reports shall be prepared and he may require, in his discretion, that reports of experience be accompanied by punch cards or other means used for data processing, or such other source material as he deems appropriate.

b. The commissioner may designate one or more agencies to assist him in gathering such experience. The commissioner shall give preference in such designation to entities organized by and functioning on behalf of the insurance companies operating in this State for the kinds of insurance to which this act applies. If the commissioner, in his judgment, determines that one or more of such organizations designated as statistical agent is unable or unwilling to perform its statistical functions according to reasonable requirements established from time to time by him, he may, after consultation with such statistical agent and upon 20 days’ notice to any affected companies, designate another person to act on his behalf in the gathering of statistical experience. The commissioner shall in such case establish the fee to be paid to such designated person by the affected companies in order to pay the total cost of gathering and compiling such experience. Agencies designated by the commissioner shall assist him in making compilations of the reported data, and such compilations shall be made available, subject to reasonable rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner, to insurers, rating organizations and any other interested parties.

L.1982, c. 114, s. 16.