Information
Organization's Own Description:
The Service Contract Industry Council (SCIC) is a national trade association that works with lawmakers across the country to develop fair and uniform regulation to protect consumers, and is an advocate for the regulation of the service contract industry. SCIC member companies, which include prominent manufacturers, insurers, retailers, providers and administrators of service contracts, collectively offer approximately 80 percent of all appliance, consumer electronics, home, and vehicle service contracts sold in the U.S.
The SCIC monitors state legislative and regulatory activities, contributes to relevant legislative and administrative proceedings, and educates businesses and consumers about the value and benefits of service contracts. Since 1988, the SCIC has been the national leader and pivotal force in the development of model legislation throughout the country, working for balanced standards that create fair and consistent regulation of the service contract industry.
The SCIC was founded in response to the increasingly cumbersome patchwork of regulation of the industry being carried out on a state-by-state basis. As a result, SCIC's initial focus was to monitor state and national legislative activities, provide members with information about new regulatory initiatives, and provide members with an opportunity to participate in the development and evolution of the regulation of their industry. As states became more active in the regulation of this industry, the SCIC gradually shifted its focus from monitoring legislation and regulation to the development of regulatory standards appropriate for the industry and consumers.
As the SCIC developed, and regulation of service contracts for consumer goods evolved, the Council had increasing contact with other service contract industries, including motor vehicle and home warranty providers. In 1988, the SCIC successfully combined its efforts with motor vehicle and home service contract industry representatives to pursue a collective mission in various states to solidify the service contract industry and to fairly and uniformly represent all service contract industry interests.
The SCIC played a significant role in the development of the Service Contract Model Act adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and has played a key role in the enactment of legislation in over 35 states. Furthermore, the SCIC has worked with state regulators in numerous other states to either modify existing regulations or conform state regulatory policies in a manner consistent with the standards of practice appropriate for the industry and its customers.
Within the last two years, the SCIC has been instrumental in lobbying for the passage of legislation in Arkansas, California, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas, and has advocated for the establishment of enhanced consumer protections and provider solvency standards relating to the offering of service contracts. Such measures further solidify consumer disclosures made in connection with the offering of service contracts while promoting the financial stability of the industry overall. As a result of these and other similar activities, the SCIC has become the national leader with respect to the regulation of service contracts.
The SCIC has adopted model legislation that contains comprehensive consumer disclosures and a set of requirements for doing business that protects both the business that offers the service contract and the consumer who elects to purchase one. In doing so, the SCIC is creating a fair and level playing field for all involved and is working to ensure consumer protection and the long-term viability of the service contract business.
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