Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Arkansas Workers’ Comp Commission Summarizes New Law
Jul 9 2009 // The Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission has posted on its Web site a summary of changes to workers’ comp regulations as a result of the passage of Act 237 during the 2009 legislative session. According to...
Illinois’ McRaith Named Director of New Department of Insurance
Jul 8 2009 // Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has named Michael McRaith as the director of the newly created Department of Insurance. As a result of Governor Quinn’s Executive Order 4, the Department of Insurance (DOI) separated from...
Rhode Island Court Rules Insurer Not Obligated to Defend Nightclub Owners
Jul 8 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...
New York Delays Medical Malpractice Rates Pending Lawmakers’ Action
Jul 8 2009 // Acting New York State Insurance Superintendent Kermitt Brooks announced today that he is delaying the setting of new medical malpractice insurance rates. He said the delay is to allow time for the Senate to respond to the...
Pay Consultants Face Ban on Providing Other Work for Same Firm
Jul 8 2009 // The Obama administration plans to detail as soon as this week new measures to clamp down on potential conflicts of interest between compensation consultants and corporate executives, sources familiar with the...
California Commissioner Rejects Workers’ Comp Bureau Rate Increase
Jul 8 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...
South Carolina Insurance Chief Faults Legislative Audit of Department
Jul 6 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...
Zurich Expands Cyber Security Coverage
Jul 6 2009 // Zurich North America Commercial enhanced and expanded a product that helps businesses manage the financial and reputational risks of cyberspace – the Zurich Security and Privacy Protection Policy. The consequence of...
Governor Vetoes Missouri Motorcycle Helmet Repeal
Jul 6 2009 // Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed legislation that would have relaxed a law that requires motorcyclists in Missouri to wear helmets at all times, citing concerns about highway safety and health care costs. The veto came...
Oregon Weighs In On Insurance Legislation
Jul 6 2009 // The Oregon Legislature adjourned the 2009 legislative session ended with a mixed bag of results on insurance issues, according to the American Insurance Association (AIA). “A number of costly and unnecessary bills...
New Rhode Island Law Saves Residents Money When Storms Loom
Jul 6 2009 // A new law could save homeowners money when a hurricane off the Atlantic coast churns up weather strong enough to damage homes in Rhode Island but never reaches the state. Legislation signed last month by Gov. Don Carcieri...
Judge: No Coverage for N.J. Manic Depressive with a Credibility Problem
Jul 6 2009 // A New Jersey woman who claimed her bipolar disorder was brought on by a stressful relationship with her boss is not eligible to collect workers’ comp benefits, a compensation judge has ruled. The case was brought by...
Florida Workers’ Comp Lawyers Retained Business After 2003 Reforms
Jul 6 2009 // After Florida limited the fees insurers had to pay to attorneys in workers’ compensation cases in 2003, attorney involvement in cases fell only slightly, according to new research. In fact, a significant proportion...
People
Jul 6 2009 // Jeffrey A. Vanderpool has been promoted to senior vice president and chief claims officer at Sunshine State Insurance Co. in St. Augustine, Fla. Vanderpool has served as vice president of caims since he joined the insurer...
Back to Square One
Jul 6 2009 // In May, when Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a bill (SB 714) to fix a glitch in the state’s condominium insurance laws because he did not like a minor fire sprinkler provision in it, a frustrated Jeff Grady, president of...
Citizens, Work Comp Bills OK’d in Louisiana
Jul 6 2009 // The Louisiana Legislature adjourned June 25, approving two bills of importance to the insurance industry late in the session, but bypassing several tort reform measures that some insurance and business trade groups had...
Declarations
Jul 6 2009 // Above and Beyond Autos “Insurance fraud in the islands is not solely committed against automobile insurance, and the state’s effort should not be restricted to a single line of insurance.” —Coalition...
State Insurance Regulation Needed
Jul 6 2009 // Our current system of state-based insurance regulation is under attack by large insurance organizations and members of Congress. For more than 150 years, state regulation has successfully guided insurance companies through...
Cyber Security: Global Risk and Rising Complexity
Jul 6 2009 // Multinationals are fighting a battle on two fronts when it comes to cyber security as they seek to fend off new, emerging security threats and also comply with evolving global regulations. These emerging security threats...
Auto Repair Legislation Stalls in Rhode Island
Jul 2 2009 // The Rhode Island Senate has declined to take up auto body legislation opposed by the insurance industry. The bill would have required consumers to have an independent appraisal for car repair work that exceeded $2,000. The...
