Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Clinton Selected as Michigan Insurance Regulator
Apr 18 2011 // Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has selected Kevin Clinton as head of the agency that regulates insurance and financial institutions in the state. Clinton will oversee the Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation, which is...
Louisiana Lawmaker Fined Over Legal Work for State-Backed Insurer
Apr 18 2011 // A Baton Rouge, La., state lawmaker’s law firm has been fined for violating state ethics law, by doing legal work for the state-run property insurer of last resort. Jackson Bell Attorneys LLC – the law firm of...
FERMA:Brazil’s Response on Regulation Change Complaints O.K.;More Needed
Apr 18 2011 // The Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) described the Brazilian government’s response to complaints about proposed changes in re/insurance regulations as “a good first step” in...
Pennsylvania House Passes Tort Reform Bill
Apr 18 2011 // Pennsylvania House lawmakers have passed a major tort reform bill, an agent-supported move that sets up a vote in the Senate — which could happen as early as this month. The tort reform bill, also called the Fair Share...
Arizona Lawmakers Moving to Open Door to Health Insurers
Apr 15 2011 // Individuals and employers in Arizona would be able to buy health insurance policies across state lines under legislation that would excuse out-of-state insurers – and possibly in-state providers – from the...
U.S. Oversight Council Urged to Be More Transparent
Apr 15 2011 // The U.S. risk council is hiding documents and needs to be more transparent in how it chooses which insurers and other major non-bank financial firms pose a risk to the financial system, lawmakers said on Thursday. Among...
Texas Lawmaker Cancels State Farm Policy Over Refund Issue
Apr 14 2011 // Texas State Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio has announced he is terminating his policyholder relationship with State Farm Insurance Co. because of the company’s persistent refusal to pay back customers that have...
Florida Senate Committee Advances PIP Bills
Apr 14 2011 // A pair of bills aimed at cracking down on the runaway fraud that has vexed automobile insurers in recent years moved through a key Senate panel this week. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee narrowly approved the...
Illinois Business Groups Open to Governor’s Call to Fix Workers’ Comp
Apr 14 2011 // Illinois business leaders welcomed Gov. Pat Quinn’s call for workers’ compensation reform, but a key lawmaker cautioned there’s a long road ahead before reaching any compromise. Quinn told participants in...
Tennessee Judge Dismisses Mechanical Bull Injury Suit
Apr 14 2011 // A Maury County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Florida woman claiming she was injured while riding a mechanical bull. According to The Daily Herald, an order was filed April 1 by Judge Stella Hargrove throwing out...
Judge Allows Harassment Suit Against Delaware Police
Apr 14 2011 // A Superior Court judge has ruled that a sexual harassment case against Delaware State Police may proceed. State officials wanted to quash the lawsuit by state police secretary Diana L. Miller but Judge Jerome O. Herlihy...
North Carolina Insurance Chief Battles Auto Rate Deregulation Bills
Apr 14 2011 // Auto insurers are looking to change the way rates are set in North Carolina but that’s not going to happen if Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has his way. There are several bills pending in the state Legislature...
North Carolina Lawmakers Urged to Preserve Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Apr 13 2011 // Injured workers’ groups, trial lawyers and others are sending a clear message to North Carolina lawmakers — leave the state’s workers’ compensation law alone. Hundreds of people descended on the...
Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Judge Facing State Discipline
Apr 13 2011 // The Judicial Conduct Board has begun disciplinary proceedings against a former Pennsylvania Superior Court judge serving a 46-month federal prison sentence for insurance fraud. It was not immediately clear if ex-Superior...
How Health Reform Will Affect Workers’ Comp, Liability Insurance
Apr 12 2011 // The federal health reform enacted last year will bring short- and long-term challenges to employers and the property/casualty insurance industry. According to Harry Shuford, chief economist for the insurance...
Oregon Bar Clears State Lawmaker in Insurance Contract Dispute
Apr 12 2011 // The Oregon State Bar has cleared a Republican state lawmaker from central Oregon in a contract dispute between two of his clients. The Bulletin newspaper in Bend reports the bar found no basis for a claim of dishonesty...
Pennsylvania House Passes Tort Reform Bill
Apr 12 2011 // Pennsylvania House lawmakers have passed a major tort reform bill, an agent-supported move that sets up a vote in the Senate that could happen as early as this month. The tort reform bill, also called the Fair Share Act,...
New Mexico Regulator OKs Insurance Company Rate Request
Apr 8 2011 // State Insurance Superintendent John Franchini has approved a double-digit rate increase for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico. The rate increase will average 21 percent and affects about 40,000 people. The state...
West Virginia to Subsidize Volunteer Firefighters’ Workers’ Comp
Apr 8 2011 // The doors of West Virginia volunteer fire departments will stay open thanks to a new law that will help offset their workers’ compensation costs. West Virginia Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has sign into law the...
‘Katrina’ Federal Judge Senter of Mississippi Retiring
Apr 8 2011 // U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr., who presided over hundreds of Hurricane Katrina insurance cases, is retiring Friday. The Sun Herald reported that Senter and his staff have spent the week packing up his offices on the...
