Section 34-9-156. Voluntary termination of members; grounds and procedure for involuntary termination of membership; effect of voluntary or involuntary termination on obligations

   (a) A member may elect to terminate voluntarily its participation in a fund by giving at least 90 days' advance written notice to the fund and to the Commissioner, unless the fund elects to meet the requirements of subsection (e) of this Code section. Such voluntary termination shall be approved by the Commissioner, or the fund, upon a finding by the Commissioner, or the fund, that such member is in good standing and that both member and fund have met all requirements of this article and of any rules and regulations issued by the Commissioner and the fund as of the proposed effective date of termination.

(b) (1) (A) A member may be involuntarily terminated as a member of a fund upon a finding by the Commissioner, after due notice and hearing, that such member has failed to comply with the requirements of this article or with the bylaws of the fund or the applicable intrastate agreement. Such hearings may be initiated by the Commissioner either upon the Commissioner's own motion or upon a recommendation of the board of the fund or the member facing involuntary termination. In the Commissioner's discretion, any hearings arising from this Code section may be consolidated if the issues involved are the same or substantially similar to those of other scheduled hearings.

      (B) The trustees of a fund may involuntarily terminate a member of the fund if the fund elects to meet the requirements of subsection (e) of this Code section and if the trustees find that such member has failed to comply with the requirements of this article or with the bylaws of the fund or the applicable intrastate agreement.

   (2) A member may be involuntarily terminated for failure to pay its proportionate share or any premiums or installments thereof due the fund or for failure otherwise to discharge its obligations to the fund when due. Written notice stating the time when the termination will be effective, which time shall be not less than 15 days from the date of notice or such other specific longer period as may be provided in the intrastate agreement or by statute, may be delivered in person or by depositing such notice in the United States mail, to be dispatched by at least first-class mail to the last address of record of the member, and receiving therefor the receipt provided by the United States Postal Service. Such notice may or may not be accompanied by a tender of the unearned premium paid by the member, calculated on a pro rata basis. If such tender is not made simultaneously with such notice, it shall be made within 15 days of notice of termination unless an audit or rate investigation is required, in which case such tender shall be made as soon as practicable.

(c) Any member who either voluntarily terminates membership or is involuntarily terminated from membership in a fund pursuant to this Code section shall remain jointly and severally liable for all obligations of the fund as of the date of such termination, including, but not limited to, any obligations of the fund to pay claims against the fund arising out of any occurrence, incident, or accident which took place during the member's membership in the fund.

(d) Any member who is voluntarily terminated or is involuntarily terminated shall be provided with the data necessary for the replacement workers' compensation insurer to determine or have determined an experience modifier for such former member.

(e) A fund may submit criteria to the Commissioner to be used in the removal of a member from the fund and unless the Commissioner disapproves the criteria in writing in 90 days, the fund shall be authorized to voluntarily or involuntarily remove a member from the fund according to the submitted criteria. The Commissioner, in conjunction with any examination of the fund, shall ensure that the fund is complying with the criteria submitted and approved by the Commissioner.

Code 1933, § 114-607a, enacted by Ga. L. 1980, p. 1686, § 1; Ga. L. 1981, p. 1759, § 1; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 34; Ga. L. 1995, p. 1201, § 6; Ga. L. 1996, p. 919, § 4.