The bill creates a new chapter in Title 48 RCW called the Washington travel insurance act and establishes a comprehensive legal framework for the sale of travel insurance in the state. It defines travel insurance, travel protection plans, travel retailers, travel administrators, and related terms, clarifies that cancellation fee waivers and travel assistance services are not insurance except where the chapter says otherwise, and says the new chapter controls if it conflicts with other Title 48 provisions. The act authorizes the insurance commissioner to issue limited lines travel insurance producer licenses, requires licensing to sell or solicit travel insurance, and allows travel retailers to offer and disseminate travel insurance only under a licensed limited lines producer subject to consumer disclosures and registration. The bill makes several procedural and regulatory changes: limited lines producers must keep and annually submit a commissioner-prescribed register of travel retailers, certify compliance with 18 U.S.C. §1033, designate a licensed employee responsible for compliance, meet fingerprinting and fee requirements, provide approved training to retailer staff, and are responsible for the acts of travel retailers under their supervision. It requires insurer-approved brochures and specified disclosures, prohibits negative option (opt-out) sales and marketing blanket travel insurance as free, requires clear pre-purchase and fulfillment materials, provides a minimum refund/cancellation window (full refund until at least 15 days after mailed fulfillment or 10 days after other delivery unless the trip has started or a claim filed), classifies travel insurance for rate/form filing purposes (generally as inland marine with specified exceptions), and requires insurers to report and pay premium tax on premiums allocable to Washington residents. The bill also amends existing statutes to expand enforcement and penalties and to add definitions: it amends RCW 48.17.060, 48.17.530, 48.17.535, and 48.43.005 so that grounds for suspension, revocation, and civil penalties apply to limited lines producers and registered travel retailers; it preserves the commissioner’s rulemaking authority and directs repeal of inconsistent travel insurance rules; it makes immediate suspension mandatory when DSHS certifies noncompliance with support orders per RCW 74.20A.320; and it adds or revises many insurance and health plan definitions. Sections 1–15 of the act create the new chapter and those sections take effect January 1, 2027, with travel insurance inclusion beginning that date. Some register details, several cross-referenced subsections, and portions of the amendment texts are incomplete in the provided facts, so specific language for those items could not be summarized.

If enacted, the bill creates a new statewide set of rules for selling travel insurance that will require people and companies who sell it to get a limited lines producer license, name a licensed employee responsible for compliance, fingerprint certain officers, keep and annually file a register of travel retailers with the insurance commissioner, provide specific consumer disclosures and brochures, train retailer staff who offer coverage, and stop using opt-out sales or marketing that presents blanket coverage as free. Travel retailers will be allowed to receive compensation only if registered by a producer, but the licensed producer and the insurer will be responsible for the retailer’s actions; insurers will also need to collect and report residency information and pay premium tax on Washington residents’ travel insurance premiums. Consumers are likely to see clearer pre-purchase disclosures, a statutory short cancellation/refund window (at least 15 days after mailed fulfillment or 10 days after electronic delivery), and limits on aggressive marketing practices. The most affected parties are limited lines producers, travel retailers, and insurers, which will face new licensing and registration costs, ongoing training and recordkeeping obligations, fingerprinting and certification requirements, and potential disciplinary risk or financial penalties for noncompliance. Insurers will also need operational changes to separate and report noninsurance services and to file rates/forms under specified lines. The law gives the commissioner rulemaking and enforcement authority and takes effect January 1, 2027 for the listed sections, but some implementation details—especially the full travel-retailer register fields and other cross-referenced provisions—are not included in the material provided, leaving uncertainty about a few compliance specifics.