Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Orders Trial for N.D. Workers’ Comp Director, Agency Investigator
Aug 31 2007 // Prosecutors have enough evidence to put North Dakota’s workers’ compensation director and the agency’s top investigator on trial for conspiracy, a judge has ruled. Sandy Blunt, the chief executive officer...
Mo. Bridge Project Could Serve as National Model on Repairs
Aug 30 2007 // A month after the deadly Minneapolis bridge collapse, Missouri lawmakers are poised to approve a massive bridge repair project that could serve as a national roadmap for renovating aging infrastructure. Missouri plans to...
4 Insurers Said to Be Eyeing Mass. Auto Market After Deregulation
Aug 30 2007 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes says four insurers not now writing auto insurance in the state have said they will enter if her plan to allow competitive pricing goes forward. Burnes is not naming the...
Ark. Lawmakers Call for Increased Children’s Insurance Funding
Aug 29 2007 // Ark. Gov. Mike Beebe and members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation called for increased funding of a federal health insurance program this week, and said a potential veto by President Bush could hurt the...
Proposed Mass. Auto Rules Would Ban Use of Socioeconomic Factors
Aug 29 2007 // Auto insurers in Massachusetts would not be allowed to use socioeconomic factors in competitively pricing or underwriting policies under a regulation proposed by Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes. The draft regulation...
N.Y. Halts Insurers from Tying Coastal Home Renewals to Other Business
Aug 29 2007 // Insurance companies in New York may not refuse to renew homeowners insurance policies based on whether a policyholder has other business such as an auto or life policy with them, under a new order from the state insurance...
Calif. High Court Rules Discovery Does Not Apply to Reinsurance Documents
Aug 29 2007 // The California Supreme Court has ruled that a statute authorizing limited discovery of a defendant’s insurance coverage does not include authorization to look into reinsurance agreements as part of facilitating a...
Former N.M. Insurance Regulator Pleads Not Guilty
Aug 28 2007 // Former New Mexico insurance regulator Joe Ruiz on Monday pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges that arose from allegations he misused his office by soliciting payments from insurance companies in exchange for...
Ohio Court Ruling Could Impact Auto Damage Claims
Aug 27 2007 // An Ohio couple whose vehicle was wrecked are entitled to more than just the money it will cost to repair it, according to a state appeals court ruling that found the couple also should be compensated because the accident...
Tenn. Judge Denies Bail for Suspect in Cherokee Forest Fires
Aug 27 2007 // A judge denied bail for a suspect charged with setting fires in Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest that damaged at least 100 acres of timber. John Wesley Irons, 60, poses a serious risk to the community if he is...
Former New Mexico Insurance Regulator Indicted
Aug 27 2007 // Former New Mexico state insurance regulator Joe Ruiz has been indicted on federal corruption charges for allegedly misusing his office by soliciting payments from insurance companies in exchange for reducing regulatory...
Oregon Legislature Passes Several P/C Insurance-Related Bills
Aug 24 2007 // The 2007 Oregon Legislature has passed a number of bills relating to insurance. The bills affecting property/casualty insurance include: *SB 183 (ch 574) Premium relief to rural doctors for professional medical liability...
Court Rules Workers’ Comp Costs Can Be Tallied in Incentive Compensation
Aug 24 2007 // The California Supreme Court has ruled that incentive compensation plans, calculated on profits, can subtract out costs for workers’ compensation costs from profits, even if it discourages employees from reporting...
Governors Urged to Back OFC Legislation
Aug 24 2007 // Two former governors urged the National Governors Association to back federal legislation that would implement an optional federal charter regulatory system in the insurance industry. “The success of the insurance...
S&P, Best Comment on PartnerRe’s EU Centralization Move
Aug 23 2007 // The rating agencies reacted positively to PartnerRe’s move to centralize all of its European operations in its Dublin-based subsidiary (See previous article). Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services assigned...
Lawmakers Evaluate Minn. 2007 Disasters from Fires to Bridge Collapse
Aug 22 2007 // From its northern tip to its southern border, Minnesota is getting roughed up in 2007. The state has seen fire, floods and a fallen bridge. “It has been one thing after another,” said Judson Freed, past...
Fla. Drivers Told Property Damage Liability Still Needed If No-Fault Expires
Aug 22 2007 // Florida drivers will still need to purchase property damage liability insurance even if the state’s no-fault insurance system disappears Oct. 1, a lawyer for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles...
Pa. Judge Charged in Alleged Insurance Scam Suspended
Aug 21 2007 // Pennsylvania’s highest court last Friday suspended Superior Court Judge Michael T. Joyce, who was indicted earlier this week on federal charges of cheating two insurance companies out of $440,000. The state Supreme...
Liberty Mutual Receives Regulatory Approvals for Ohio Casualty Acquisition
Aug 21 2007 // Liberty Mutual Group and Ohio Casualty Corp. recently announced that the Liberty Mutual Group has received approvals from the State of Ohio Department of Insurance and the State of Indiana Department of Insurance for the...
Pa. Judge Suspended Over Insurance Fraud Charges to Retire
Aug 21 2007 // Suspended Superior Court Judge Michael T. Joyce pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges of mail fraud and money laundering, but abandoned his re-election campaign and said he plans to retire when his term expires in...
