This legislative session has brought new light to the auto insurance industry in North Carolina, a light that some are working hard to put out.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin is one such individual who has taken on the responsibility of calling out car insurance companies who are backing new legislation that, in his professional opinion, will raise rates for most of the drivers in the "Tar Heel" state.

Under current North Carolina state law, all auto insurance companies are required to file their rating plans with the North Carolina Rate Bureau (NCRB), which proposes base-rate premium-calculation formulas to the commissioner for approval on behalf of all companies operating in the state. Many out-of-state as well as in-state car insurance companies contest that this process is too restrictive and needs to be changed.

In what many are calling a power move by the auto insurance industry, three bills have been introduced this legislative session designed to do just that, and loosen the grip of the NCRB on regulating proposed insurance plans. If the bills pass, they will grant insurers the flexibility to adjust rates as they see fit without having to answer to the NCRB.

Responding to the aggressive backing of the bills by the auto insurance industry, Goodwin claimed in an online press release that the current structure "strikes a necessary balance between the consumers' interest and the insurance companies' interest." Goodwin went on to add, "Auto insurers make enough money to keep doing business here profitably, and drivers have relatively low rates."

With North Carolina having one of the lowest average car insurance rates in the country according to several studies released in 2010 and 2011 by a number of groups including the Insurance Information Institute, Goodwin's claim has teeth.

The three bills will go up for an initial vote in May, although the likelihood of them passing the first round of voting is still up for what will surely be a heated battle.

—AJ Register