Latest Legislation Headlines

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

N.Y.’s Serio Defends States as Federal Oversight Debate Begins

Oct 11 2004 // State insurance commissioners stood their ground last month at hearings in Washington where they opposed an expanded federal role in insurance regulation and withstood a withering attack on their performance from a leading...

Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming take Med-mal Crisis to the Polls

Oct 11 2004 // On Nov. 2, citizens of three Western states will decide whether or not to limit damage awards in medical malpractice insurance cases. Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming will join Florida as the four states to consider placing caps...

WCIRB RECOMMENDS 3.5 PERCENT INCREASE IN RATES:

Oct 11 2004 // At a Department of Insurance rate hearing in San Francisco on Sept. 15, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau recommended that insurers raise workers’ comp rates by 3.5 percent in January 2005....

CALIF. GOV. VETOES SB 494:

Oct 11 2004 // Continuing to act on his pledge to improve California’s business climate and prevent expensive litigation and abuse by special interest groups, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed legislation sponsored by personal...

Nonadmitted Markets Open Options for Homeowners

Oct 11 2004 // Myths about the E&S market should not prevent homeowners from securing high-quality coverage. High-quality nonadmitted markets can provide consistent, reliable coverage for high-value and high-risk properties. Even...

Nonadmitted Markets Open Options for Homeowners

Oct 11 2004 // Even before Charley and Frances, insurers were fleeing the homeowners market for high–risk properties at an alarming pace. Over the last several years, large catastrophe and mold losses have caused a number of...

Nonadmitted Markets Open Options for Homeowners

Oct 11 2004 // Even before Charley and Frances, insurers were fleeing the homeowners market for high-risk properties at an alarming pace. Over the last several years, large catastrophe and mold losses have caused a number of insurers to...

Dusk Delayed as House Takes First Step Toward Extending TRIA’s Sunset

Oct 11 2004 // Regardless of whether George W. Bush is re-elected or John Kerry moves into the White House, the property/casualty insurance industry appears to have a good chance of getting its wishes when it comes to extending the...

Remember the Lessons of Hurricane Andrew

Oct 11 2004 // Due to efforts to rebuild the Florida property insurance market after Hurricane Andrew, most policyholders in the wake of 2004s more costly hurricane season should not face the same post-Andrew price increases or limited...

Pa. Judge Rules Public Has Right to Know Details of Medical Malpractice Settlement

Oct 8 2004 // Bucking tradition, a Lackawanna County, Pa. judge has ruled against a doctor who sought to keep the details of a medical malpractice settlement under wraps, saying that taxpayers have a right to know because they are...

Auto Data Network to Train AXA Brokers on FSA Regs

Oct 6 2004 // Auto Data Network Inc., a provider of software and real-time data to the automotive industry, announced that its U.K. subsidiary, IFAct Group Limited, has been awarded a contract by AXA to provide training and help develop...

Md. Docs Postpone Surgery Slowdown

Oct 6 2004 // Four Washington County, Maryland doctors have agreed to an indefinite delay of their plan to halt non-emergency surgery to protest a 33 percent increase in medical malpractice insurance premiums. After a meeting with Gov....

Congress Debates Reforms to Nuclear WC Program

Oct 6 2004 // Congressional lawmakers agree a program to compensate sick nuclear weapons workers is broken, but how to fix it is the subject of debate on Capitol Hill. The program is for tens of thousands of people nationwide who helped...

La. WCAC to Begin Drafting 2005 Legislation

Oct 5 2004 // The Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council plans to meet on Oct. 7, 2004, to begin drafting legislation for the 2005 Legislative Session. The meeting will begin 9 a.m. at the Louisiana Association of...

Big ‘I’ Applauds Countersignature Trends

Oct 5 2004 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (The Big “I”) is applauding continuing efforts by state policymakers and federal courts to eliminate countersignature laws. The Big “I” has...

U.K. Insurance and Financial Services Conference Focused on Industry Image

Oct 4 2004 // The U.K.’s annual Insurance and Financial Services Conference, sponsored by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA), got underway Wednesday, Sept. 29. The...

Judge Halts Implementation of TWCC’s Alternate Medical Necessity Dispute Review Rule

Oct 4 2004 // The Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission (TWCC) reported that a Travis County District Judge has granted a temporary restraining order to prevent TWCC from implementing or enforcing new Commission Rule 133.309...

N.J. Maintains Top Auto Insurance Premium Figures Reflect Years of ‘Suffering’ Before 2003 Reforms

Oct 1 2004 // New Jersey Banking and Insurance Commissioner Holly C. Bakke wasted little time in putting the latest numbers showing the state with the highest average auto insurance premium — $1,113 — in perspective. Those numbers...

PIA Survey Shows Strong Support for State Regulation

Oct 1 2004 // Members of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) strongly support state regulation of insurance and strongly oppose any effort to move to a federal regulatory system. The results of a survey of...

Insurers Applaud House Committee Passage of TRIA Extension Act

Sep 30 2004 // Both the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) praised the House Financial Services Committee’s passage of H.R. 4634, the Terrorism...