The Surety & Fidelity Association of America is active in federal and state advocacy related to our industry both in a legislative and regulatory context. More detailed information about our legislative and regulatory activities is available on our Members Only site.

SFAA Seeks Improvements to License Bond Requirements for Financial Services in Indiana (1/23/2013)

Increased Limits on SBA Bond Guarantees in Senate Emergency Appropriations Bill Draft (12/13/2012)

White House Plan for Emergency Relief for Sandy Includes Increases to SBA Bond Guarantees (12/12/2012)

Summary of State and Federal Election Results (11/8/2012)

Legislation to Get Sureties Back in Public Official Bond Market Close to Passage in New Jersey (10/18/2012)

SFAA Letter to SBA Interagency TF on Vets (8/2/2012)

SFAA Tells SBA of its Progress in Assisting Small Contractors With Bonding (8/2/2012)

Contracting Issues Pending in Congress to be Discussed in the Fall (7/19/2012)

Rhode Island Bad Faith Bill is Dead for 2012 (6/27/2012)

Lien Legislation Moving Toward Enactment in North Carolina (6/21/2012)

North Carolina Legislation Would Permit Bonds to be Waived (6/13/2012)

H.R. 3534 - Security in the Procurement Process for Subcontractors, Suppliers, and Workers on the Job and Taxpayers' Dollars (5/15/2012)

SFAA Needs You to Contact Your Representative to Vote Yes on H.R. 3534 (5/15/2012)

Ohio Moves to Address Bonding Issues of its Counties (5/2/2012)

New Mexico to Consider Alternatives to Bonding (4/10/2012)

New York Capital Access Program (3/7/2012)

SFAA Submits Comments Regarding Treasury's Proposed Rule Concerning Surety Companies Doing Business in the U.S. (5/13/2011)

SFAA Submits Comments Regarding the Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Rule (5/11/2011)

SFAA Submits Comments Regarding FASB's Proposed Revenue Recognition Standard (10/21/2010)

Owners, Contractors and Sureties Propose Modification of the American Institute of Architects A312 Payment Bond (4/21/2008)

A Primer on Surety (10/12/2007)

State Legislative Issues:

• Assigned Risk Plans
  • Why Assigned Risk Plans Won't Work for Surety Bonds - Commercial Surety Version (6/2/2010)
  • Why Assigned Risk Plans Won't Work for Surety Bonds - Contract Bond Version (6/2/2010)
• Bad Faith:
  • Rhode Island HB 7766: Bad Faith in Probate Surety Bond (6/2/2010)
  • Rhode Island SB 2229: Bad Faith in Surety Bond Claims (6/2/2010)
• Bond Thresholds
  • Wyoming State Bond Threshold (3/6/2012)
• Bond Waivers
  • Bond Waivers Hurt More than Help in a Bad Economy (6/2/2010)
  • A Waiver of Surety Bonds ... It Hurts Small and Emerging Contractors and Puts Taxpayers and Laborers at Risk (6/2/2010)
  • Ohio HB 1 - The State Budget Hurts Small and Emerging Contractors and Puts State Taxpayers and Laborers at Risk (7/23/2009)
  • New York Senate Bill 5987 - Bond Waivers for Small Contractors (7/14/2009)
• Individual Sureties:
  • Individual Surety Legislation Does Not Work (6/2/2010)
  • Helping Small Contractors Obtain Bonding - What Works & What Doesn't? (6/2/2010)
  • Maryland Bill Analysis (6/2/2010)
• Little Miller Act Thresholds
  • Increasing State Bond Thresholds ... It Hurts Small and Emerging Contractors and Puts State Taxpayers and Laborers at Risk (6/2/2010)
• Long Term Warranties
  • SFAA Statement Concerning Bonding Long-Term Warranties (6/2/2010)
• Mortgage Broker Bond Material
  • States Rush to Comply with New Federal Mortgage Broker Licensing Standards (1/26/2009)
  • The Underwriting of Mortgage Broker and Lender Bonds - The Basics (1/26/2009)
  • Model Surety Bonding Language for State Enacting a New Licensing and Bonding Requirement for Mortgage Lenders and Mortgage Brokers/Originators (1/26/2009)
  • Sample Mortgage Broker/Lender Bond (1/26/2009)
  • Surety Bond Requirements for Mortgage Brokers and Mortgage Bankers by State (7/26/2011) 
• Motor Vehicle Dealer Bonds - The Basics (6/4/2010)
• Retainage - It Gets the Job Done (6/2/2010)
• Surety Eligibility Requirements:
  • The "A" Rated Surety Issue (6/2/2010)
  • New Jersey SB 1392: How to Find and Select a Surety Company (6/2/2010)

Federal Issues:

• Assignment of Claims
  • Assigning Federal Construction Contracts to Sureties Enhances Performance (5/24/2010)
  • Proposed Amendments to the Assignment of Claims Act (10/12/2007)
• Contract Bundling
  • Creating and Enforcing Reasonable Small Business Participation Rules (5/24/2010)
• FAA Reauthorization Act - Bonding Issues
  • Surety Industry Concerns with U.S. Senate Bill (S.223) "FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act of 2011" (6/27/2011)
• McCarran Ferguson
  • McCarran Fosters a Financially Sound and Highly Competitive Insurance Industry (5/24/2010)
• Medicare Bond
  • H.R. 1970 - Surety Bonding Helps Prevent Medicare Fraud and Waste (7/23/2009)
• SBA Bond Guarantee Program
  • Revitalizing the SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program - List of Reforms Needed (5/24/2010)
  • Revitalizing the SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program (5/24/2010)
  • The Role of Congress in Revitalizing the SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program - The SBA Reauthorization Act (7/22/2009)
  • Testimony of William G. Peterson, CNA Surety Corporation, VP and Public Affairs Officer, Before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business (9/6/2007)
• Small Business Issues
  • DOT Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Comments (7/9/2010)
  • Comments to Small Business Task Force (6/30/2010)

Please contact Lenore Marema, Vice President of Government Affairs, at (lmarema@surety.org) for further information.