Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Vermont Gov. Douglas Signs Law Amending WC Filing Limit and Requiring Medical Fee Schedule

May 28 2004 // Vermont Gov. James Douglas (R) has signed important workers’ compensation reform legislation (H. 632) supported by the insurance industry including the American Insurance Association (AIA). The new law reduces the...

S.C. Homeowners’ Flex Rating Bill Gets House Backing

May 28 2004 // The South Carolina House of Representatives has passed a personal lines modernization bill that will reportedly give consumers more choices of products and companies by enhancing the competitive nature of the market. The...

AIA Hails Ohio’s ‘Landmark’ Asbestos and Silica Reforms

May 28 2004 // The Washington, D.C.-based insurer lobbyist American Insurance Association (AIA) praised the Ohio General Assembly’s passage of the first asbestos reform legislation in the country that helps “truly sick victim...

NAIC Comments on A.M. Best Insurer Solvency Study

May 28 2004 // A recently published study by the A.M. Best Company, titled Best’s Insolvency Study: Property/Casualty U.S. Insurers, 1969-2002, provides further evidence that the national system of state-based insurance regulation...

Fraud, Tort Reform Bills Pass in Minnesota

May 28 2004 // The 2004 Minnesota legislative session adjourned on May 16, with several insurance-related bills signed into law, and a fraud bill now on Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s desk, according to the Property Casualty...

NAMIC Urges NAIC to Table ‘Sarbanes-Oxley’ Proposals

May 27 2004 // The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies has urged the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ to table its current proposals to adopt parts of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act as part of state...

Conn. Gov. Rowland Signs Terror Exclusion Law

May 27 2004 // Connecticut Gov. John Rowland (R) has signed into law important legislation to create a terrorism exclusion in the state’s Standard Fire Policy (SFP). The American Insurance Association (AIA), among other industr...

Zenith Files 10% Reduction in Calif. Workers’ Comp Rates

May 27 2004 // Zenith National Insurance Corp. reported that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Zenith Insurance Company, has filed with the California Department of Insurance its workers’ compensation rates for use on or after July 1,...

Fla. CFO Warns of Hurricane Preparedness

May 26 2004 // With explosive state population growth and experts predicting the formation of more than 12 named Atlantic storms, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher is issuing a warning to consumers: Prepare...

Tenn. Workers’ Comp Reform Bill Goes to Governor

May 21 2004 // The Tennessee General Assembly on Thursday gave final approval to workers’ compensation legislation that seeks to address rising costs in the state’s workers’ comp system. SB 3424, introduced at the...

AIA Pleased With Removal of Judge in Asbestos Bankruptcy Cases

May 20 2004 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) on Wednesday praised a recent federal appeals court ruling that removed a judge from overseeing three major asbestos-related bankruptcy cases in New Jersey. In a 2-1 decision, a...

U.S. House Passes OSHA Changes for Employers

May 20 2004 // Employers could get more time to challenge citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and more companies could recoup lawyers’ fees under a set of House bills that would make employer-friendly...

California Senate OKs Bills Expanding Firebreaks and Insurance Rights

May 20 2004 // Bills to expand firebreaks around some rural homes and give homeowners greater insurance rights were approved recently by the state Senate. The four measures were introduced in response to the fires that ravaged large...

Ky. Gov. Reappoints Judge to Dept. of Workers Claims

May 19 2004 // Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher announced the reappointment of Madisonville Judge Richard Joiner as an administrative law judge in the Department of Workers Claims. An administrative law judge conducts conferences and...

PCI Says Regulatory Modernization, Credit Scoring Continue to Be Top Issues

May 19 2004 // Regulatory modernization and credit scoring continue to be priority issues for the insurance industry according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of American (PCI). John Lobert, PCI senior vice president, state...

33,000 Doctors Seek Pa. Med-Mal Subsidy

May 19 2004 // About 33,000 physicians who want help paying for medical malpractice insurance have applied for a piece of a $220 million state subsidy in Pennsylvania that will be largely funded by cigarette taxes increased in...

Maine Joins Interstate Regulatory Compact

May 18 2004 // Maine Superintendent of Insurance Alessandro A. Iuppa reported that Maine has become the sixth state to join the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Compact Commission, a commission which has been developed by the...

Elected Federal Officials Claim They’re Aware of Agents’ Influence

May 17 2004 // At IIABA Conference, Agents Capture Attention of Lawmakers Frank, Baker, Allen and Bunning From coast to coast, they came to Washington, D.C. last month for a chance to hear and be heard on a wide range of issues from...

IIABA Legislative Conference Allows Agents, Brokers Chance to Lobby

May 17 2004 // From coast to coast, they came to Washington, D.C. last month for a chance to have their voices heard on a wide range of issues from workers’ compensation to taxes on their businesses. The 28th Annual Independent...

Insurers Prepare for a Post-TRIA World; ‘Baby Steps’ Toward Federal Regulation

May 17 2004 // Property/casualty insurers are coming to grips with the fact that a government-sponsored terrorism insurance backstop could expire at the end of next year, which would send pricing shockwaves through the market. Carriers...