Topeka ? Annuity and life insurance salesmen can’t solicit soldiers who are on duty or attending compulsory meetings on their bases, under new state rules.

The rules took effect Thursday, immediately after their approval by a state board that reviews administrative regulations. They supplement federal and state laws designed to prevent salesmen from cheating military personnel, and they spell out what the Insurance Department considers deceptive or unfair practices.

The military already has its own policies, and individuals and companies using questionable sales tactics can be banned from installations nationwide. But if the Insurance Department has its own rules in place, it can suspend or revoke agents’ licenses or impose fines against them or their companies.

The new rules also prevent life insurance salesmen from soliciting business on a military post without first getting permission from its commander. Also, companies cannot use military personnel as representatives, regardless of whether they are paid.

John Campbell, the Insurance Department’s general counsel, said he hasn’t heard of any abuses in Kansas. He said they’re most likely to occur at basic training centers, home to mostly young and raw recruits.

Fort Riley has a long-standing policy of requiring companies and their agents to get a permit to solicit business on post. They must provide information about the firm, themselves and their projects, and the post’s legal department decides whether they will be permitted to sell, said Dori Farrow, the fort’s civilian chief of administration and operations.