Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas GOP Vows to Keep Insurance, Transportation Departments Open
Jun 5 2009 // Republican leaders in the Texas Legislature have promised that insurance regulation, roadbuilding and other government functions will continue in Texas despite lawmakers’ failure to pass a measure preserving the...
Illinois Department of Insurance Once Again an Independent Division
Jun 4 2009 // The Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI) on June 1 resumed its status as an independent department of state government, a position it held for more than a century prior to its consolidation with several other state...
Association of British Insurers Warns of Regulation ‘Contagion’
Jun 4 2009 // The Association of British Insurers has issued a statement warning that regulators and governments “must not harm other industries, such as insurance, as they deal with the banking crisis.” In a new report,...
Amid Obstacles, Opportunities for Insurance Agents Exist
Jun 4 2009 // You don’t need to get too deep into conversation these days to find out people are afraid. Given changes in business, the economy and government, many individuals feel they don’t know what or who to trust....
Michigan Mandates Insurers File Home, Auto Insurance Forms with State
Jun 4 2009 // Michigan’s insurance regulator is reinstating a requirement that insurance companies submit all home and auto insurance documents and forms to the state insurance department for review prior to using them with the...
Judge Rules Jury to Hear Claims in Starr-AIG Battle
Jun 4 2009 // A jury should hear the claims in litigation between American International Group Inc. and Starr International Co. Inc. controlled by the troubled insurance giant’s former chief executive, Maurice “Hank”...
Obama Administration Steps Up Financial Reform Drive
Jun 4 2009 // The Obama administration stepped up its push for tougher bank and financial firm rules Thursday, scheduling a briefing for lobbyists, with a focus on insurance oversight, and sending a top regulator to a Senate hearing to...
Florida Workers’ Compensation Rates Cut to Reflect Lawyer Fee Cap Law
Jun 3 2009 // Florida’s insurance regulator has approved a rollback of workers’ compensation insurance rates from April 1 rates to the lower rates that were in effect on Jan. 1. The order by Florida Insurance Commissioner...
Georgia Court Rules Insurer Not Liable for Voluntary Settlement
Jun 2 2009 // An insured who voluntarily agrees to pay a settlement that is not dictated by a jury verdict cannot sue its insurance company for bad faith failure to defend, even if the settlement is within the policy limits, the Georgia...
Florida Surplus Lines Insurance Regulation Bill Awaits Gov.’s Signature
Jun 2 2009 // Legislation intended to clarify the regulation of the surplus lines insurance industry in Florida has reached the desk of Gov. Charlie Crist. Crist has until June 16 to sign the bill (HB 853), which the industry hopes and...
Insurance Department in Limbo as Texas Legislature Adjourns
Jun 2 2009 // While the Texas Legislature managed to pass a long sought bill, HB4409, that addresses funding for the state’s insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast, lawmakers failed to decide on other...
Declarations
Jun 1 2009 // An Increasing Problem “This is increasingly becoming a problem on our lakes and waterways, and it was important that the Legislature step forward with a strong response.” —Oklahoma Sen. Bill Brown, author of...
Quality and Protectionism in the Insurance Market
Jun 1 2009 // Why Market Blocking Is Not Best for the Consumer or the Industry The insurance business needs to lose a vestige of the insurance marketplace of the last century. Let’s become more friendly to competition and the free...
Oklahoma Gov. Signs Compromise Tort Reform Legislation
Jun 1 2009 // Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry has signed into law long-sought tort reform legislation aimed at curbing frivolous lawsuits and reducing costs associated with the justice system. Henry said House Bill 1603 by Rep. Dan Sullivan...
Declarations
Jun 1 2009 // National Producer Licensing Need “Throughout the current financial crisis, the state insurance regulatory system continues to show how well it protects both individual consumers and businesses. Although the system...
Another Go-Round for Surplus Lines Regulation Reform
Jun 1 2009 // Federal lawmakers once again are preparing to tackle the issue of how states can more effectively regulate the surplus lines insurance market. It’s been tried before, but legislation was recently reintroduced in the...
Judge Tosses Most Supermarket Data Breach Claims
Jun 1 2009 // Only those customers who weren’t reimbursed for fraudulent charges may sue the Hannaford Bros. supermarket chain over a data breach that exposed 4.2 million credit and debit card numbers to computer hackers, a...
Texas House Sends Windstorm Reforms to Conference
Jun 1 2009 // The Texas House approved a conference committee report on Saturday to hammer out windstorm insurance reform legislation with senators. House lawmakers sent the measure — which could cause lawmakers to be called back...
Surplus Lines Regulation Reform Legislation Reintroduced
Jun 1 2009 // Legislation aimed at making access to the surplus lines market more efficient and help standardize state insurance regulation has been introduced again in the U.S. House of Representatives. Reps. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., and...
Panama Moving Slowly on Making Tax Haven Law Changes
Jun 1 2009 // Panama’s ruling party is unlikely to pass tighter tax legislation seen as key for the signing of a U.S. free-trade deal before President Martin Torrijos steps down on July 1, legislators said this week. A bilateral...
