WASHINGTON—Passage of the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2009 appears to be gaining momentum as the Senate on Thursday saw introduction of the same surplus lines reform bill introduced in the House of Representatives last month.

The Senate version was introduced by Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Mel Martinez, R-Fla.

Both bills, which are supported by the Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc. and other insurance industry organizations, would make accessing the surplus lines market easier for risk managers and set a uniform system of surplus lines premium tax allocation and remittance, among other things.

The House version of the bill, H.R. 2571, will be passed under suspension in early July, according to the National Assn. of Professional Surplus Lines Offices Ltd.

“With the introduction of the bill in both the House and Senate, and wide support from the industry, we believe that this bill will be approved and signed into law,” said Maria Berthoud, NAPSLO's Washington representative, in a statement.