Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
State Regulation, Earthquake Coverage of Concern to Missouri’s Huff
Jul 24 2009 // In an address to some 130 members of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA) Missouri Insurance Director John M. Huff made a strong argument that states, rather than the federal government, should continue to...
Florida Signs Insurance Regulation Pact with United Kingdom
Jul 22 2009 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) and the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority (FSA) have agreed to work together on issues that affect insurance consumers in the U.K. and the U.S. Florida Insurance...
Florida’s Denial of State Farm 47% Rate Hike Again Upheld
Jul 21 2009 // A court has upheld Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty’s denial of a 47.1 percent home insurance rate hike requested last July by State Farm Florida. According to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation...
Judge: $145M Suit over Taser-Death Can Go to Trial
Jul 21 2009 // A federal judge in Baltimore has ruled that a wrongful death lawsuit can go to trial against Frederick County and the sheriff’s office in the death of a man who was shocked with a Taser in 2007. The family of...
Insurance Claims Firm Says West Virginia Owes It $1 Million Lost in Scam
Jul 21 2009 // A Memphis insurance claims firm wants the more than $1 million that it was supposed to receive from West Virginia, but that was instead diverted in an apparent Africa-based fraud scheme, state lawmakers learned...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Vows to Continue Cell Phone Safety Efforts
Jul 21 2009 // Although legislation filed by Oklahoma House of Representatives Democratic Leader Danny Morgan to address the dangers of cell phone use and texting while driving has stalled the past two legislative sessions, Rep. Morgan...
New York Eases Compensation Disclosure Mandate for Producers
Jul 20 2009 // Agents Still Say Cumbersome Changes Will Create Problems The New York State Insurance Department this month released a new draft of a rule governing when and how insurance producers must disclose their compensation and...
South Carolina Chief Refutes Legislative Audit Critical of Some Insurance Department Work
Jul 20 2009 // A report by the auditing arm of the South Carolina Legislature has concluded that the state insurance department overall does a good job regulating insurance companies and their rates but it could do a better job of...
Declarations
Jul 20 2009 // Too High a Cost “In terms of lives and of dollars, the cost of repealing Missouri’s helmet law simply would have been too high.” —Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who vetoed legislation that would have relaxed...
Florida’s Citizens Rate Hikes Fall Short of Industry Hopes
Jul 20 2009 // After three years of no increases, Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is about to hike premiums up to 10 percent for many of its policyholders, although not for as many as some insurance insiders and...
California Commissioner Rejects Workers’ Comp Bureau Rate Increase
Jul 20 2009 // Citing testimony that self-insured employers have been able to reduce overall workers’ compensation costs, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has rejected the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating...
Rhode Island Court Rules Insurer Not Obligated to Defend Nightclub Owners
Jul 20 2009 // A Rhode Island court has ruled that a commercial general liability insurance policy held by the owners of the Station nightclub does not require the insurance company to defend them against criminal charges. The case arose...
Marsh Study: UK Real Estate Firms Must Manage Risk More Effectively
Jul 20 2009 // A new report by Marsh has found that some UK real estate firms are failing to address the strategic risks facing their organizations, leaving them more vulnerable to the vagaries of market conditions and in a weaker...
Travelers Insurance Urges Regional Zones, Federal Role for Wind Coverage
Jul 20 2009 // One of the nation’s largest insurers has unveiled a plan to shift the authority for regulating rates for hurricane wind coverage from state regulators to an independent federal commission. Mississippi Gov. Haley...
Oklahoma Lawmakers to Study Workers’ Comp Reform Proposals
Jul 20 2009 // Workers’ compensation reform proposals will be subjected to legislative scrutiny through an Oklahoma House of Representatives study requested by state Rep. Mark McCullough, among others. McCullough, who has authored...
Credit Default Swaps Should Be Regulated as Insurance
Jul 20 2009 // Turmoil Could Have Been Avoided if Treated the Same as Insurance Markets Credit default swaps nearly brought down the world financial system last fall when it was discovered that AIG Financial Products had written hundreds...
California Closer to Allowing Mileage-Based Auto Insurance
Jul 20 2009 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has issued proposed regulations for Pay-Drive (Usage Based Auto Insurance). According to the Commissioner, “Insurers frequently rely on consumers to provide their own...
State Farm Lloyds Seeks Homeowners Rate Increase in Texas
Jul 16 2009 // State Farm Lloyds has submitted a rate filing to the Texas Department of Insurance to increase its homeowner’s insurance rates in Texas by a statewide average of 8.5 percent, beginning Oct. 1 for existing customers...
Tennessee Medical Fee Schedule Cuts Workers’ Compensation Costs: Study
Jul 16 2009 // The implementation of a medical fee schedule in Tennessee after reforms passed in 2004 has helped save employers $1,300 per workers’ compensation case, according to a study by a research group. The study by he...
State Farm Florida Withdrawal Plan May Go To Judge
Jul 15 2009 // After months of trying, Florida state officials and State Farm Florida have been unable to agree on the details of the insurer’s plan for withdrawing from the state, so steps have been taken to have an administrative...
