Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Kentucky Asks Judge to Reverse Ruling on Christian Health Plan

Feb 1 2007 // The Kentucky Office of Insurance has asked a judge to reconsider his decision to allow a Christian-only health care plan to continue operating in the state. Other states recognize Medi-Share as insurance and subject it to...

Fla. Gov. Crist Persuades Cabinet to Block Insurers’ Exit

Feb 1 2007 // In a forceful rebuke to insurance companies, Gov. Charlie Crist cajoled fellow Cabinet members into approving a rule Tuesday that will prevent property insurers from canceling Florida policies for much of the rest of this...

Washington Commissioner Issues Multiple Fines, Enforcement Actions

Jan 31 2007 // Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner has ordered UnitedHealthcare Insurance Co. of Minneapolis to pay a $59,000 fine following an agency investigation into the company’s use of unapproved contracts...

Okla. Lawmakers Riled Over Delay in Emergency Declaration

Jan 31 2007 // The Bush administration’s delay in issuing a “major disaster declaration” after this month’s devastating ice storm has angered some lawmakers in eastern Oklahoma, where local governments have been...

Judge Reduces State Farm’s Punitive Damages in Miss. Katrina Case

Jan 31 2007 // The federal judge overseeing the Katrina claims cases in Mississippi has reduced a recent $2.5 million jury award of punitive damages against State Farm to $1 million. U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter ruled that a punitive...

Fla. Emergency Rule Would Freeze Insurers’ Moves Until June

Jan 31 2007 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist proposed an emergency rule Monday to guarantee insurers do not raise property insurance rates or cancel policies before a law he signed last week to lower rates goes into effect on June 1. Crist...

Arizona Lawmakers Move to Raise Burden of Proof on ER Suits

Jan 31 2007 // Hoping for a change of heart by Gov. Janet Napolitano, the Arizona Senate on Monday narrowly approved a medical malpractice bill to raise the bar on the legal burden of proof required for malpractice lawsuits involving...

Biggest U.S. Companies Fail to Disclose Climate Change Risks to Investors, Study Says

Jan 31 2007 // Despite growing financial losses in various business sectors from climate change, over half of the nation’s 500 largest publicly traded companies are doing a poor job of disclosing climate change risks to their...

Group Urges Legislators to Reintroduce Surplus Lines Reform Bill

Jan 31 2007 // National Association Professional Surplus Lines Offices is urging members of the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs to enact the surplus lines and reinsurance...

Ark. Gov. Names New Judge for Workers’ Comp Commission

Jan 30 2007 // Ark. Gov. Mike Beebe has appointed Chandra Hicks as the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission’s newest Administrative Law Judge, the AWCC reported. The AWCC administrates the state’s workers’...

New Mo. Law Requires Service Contractors to be Licensed

Jan 29 2007 // A new law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 requires that all vehicle service contract administrators must register with the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration by...

Agents, brokers ready to pursue ambitious legislative agenda in 2007

Jan 29 2007 // There is a new political dynamic in Congress that presents both opportunities and pitfalls. Last year, the President signed into law pension and health care reform that will greatly benefit insurance consumers. House...

Industry leaders debate regulation in wake of Democratic Congress shift

Jan 29 2007 // The Professional Liability Underwriting Society held its international conference in Chicago in late 2006. Moderating a conference panel, television journalist Forrest Sawyer, a 24-year veteran of ABC, CBS and MSNBC,...

Agents, brokers ready to pursue ambitious legislative agenda in 2007

Jan 29 2007 // There is a new political dynamic in Congress that presents both opportunities and pitfalls. Last year, the President signed into law pension and health care reform that will greatly benefit insurance consumers. House...

Agents, brokers ready to pursue ambitious legislative agenda in 2007

Jan 29 2007 // There is a new political dynamic in Congress that presents both opportunities and pitfalls. Last year, the President signed into law pension and health care reform that will greatly benefit insurance consumers. House...

There’s a lot insurers do not like in Florida’s property insurance fix

Jan 29 2007 // Legislators rolled up their sleeves, ripped off their ties and unbuttoned their collars as a special legislative session on property insurance came to a head in Florida. After six days of conferring, negotiating and...

Industry leaders debate federal vs. state regulation with Democratic Congress shift

Jan 29 2007 // The Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) held its international conference in Chicago in late 2006. Moderating the panel was television journalist Forrest Sawyer, a 24-year veteran of ABC, CBS and MSNBC, who...

Conn. AG seeks to block shutter requirement

Jan 29 2007 // Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has submitted draft legislation to the General Assembly that would prohibit insurers from requiring that consumers install hurricane shutters as a condition of insurance. The...

Windstorm expected to be major insurance issue for Texas lawmakers

Jan 29 2007 // Funding for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Asso-ciation (TWIA) may not be the only insurance issue on lawmakers’ plates during the 2007 session of the Texas Legislature, but it will likely be the most high profile...

It Figures

Jan 29 2007 // $445 Billion Nearly half a billion dollars will be given to U.S. cities and regions to help reduce the risk of terror attacks on ports, transit systems and chemical plants, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff...