Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Says Michigan Car Insurance Fund Records Are Public
Jan 4 2013 // An insurance fund that slaps a fee on every Michigan car to pay for catastrophic injuries suffered in accidents has been ordered to open its books and demonstrate how it sets the annual rate. The decision by an Ingham...
Even Without Big Storms, Florida Property Insurance Costs Rise
Jan 3 2013 // Marco Tarafa was stunned to find that his homeowners’ policy is increasing by nearly $1,000 a year —all because inspectors couldn’t get into his attic, where there was no crawl space and about 24 inches of...
In N.J. Pet Sitter Lawsuit, Debate Over ‘Independent Contractor’ Status
Jan 2 2013 // A recent court ruling in New Jersey focused on the question of whether a plaintiff who was bitten by a dog while working as a part-time pet sitter can be described as an “independent contractor.” The plaintiff,...
Texas’ Expected Surplus Won’t Lessen 2013 Budget Fight
Jan 2 2013 // Shortfall and sacrifice: that’s how the Texas Legislature two years ago defended gutting $5.4 billion from public education, laying off thousands of public workers with slashed spending and stripping Medicaid to the...
Michigan Man Who Beat Odds Fights No-Fault Insurance Reform
Jan 2 2013 // Sam Howell could barely speak seven years ago. He pointed at letters on a board to communicate. He struggled to stand by himself in his driveway. Recently, Sam, 26, opened the door for me at his home. He spent the next...
Indiana Court Rules Duke Must Cover Ice Storm Costs
Jan 2 2013 // The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that state regulators acted appropriately when they rejected Duke Energy Corp.’s bid to pass more than $11 million in repair costs incurred during a 2009 ice storm onto its...
How ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Package Deals with Business Taxes
Jan 2 2013 // The “fiscal cliff” deal that slowly, painfully took shape in the U.S. Congress in recent days fulfills some of corporate America’s tax policy goals, but leaves others unmet, including a big one –...
House Republicans Look to Split $60B Sandy Aid Bill in Half
Jan 1 2013 // The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to split a $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy disaster aid bill into two parts, staging votes on $27 billion to fund immediate recovery needs and $33 billion for long-term and...
Worker’s Comp Reforms, Portable Persistency Top West’s 2012 Headlines
Dec 31 2012 // Dec. 21, 2012 came and went and the apocalypse was so lackluster as to be forgotten among the year’s myriad headlines. Now that we are all well and good, and past doomsday, here are Insurance Journal’s best...
West Virginia Judge Stops Insurer’s Use of Old Parts on New Cars
Dec 31 2012 // A Kanawha County judge has granted Attorney General Darrell McGraw’s request for a permanent injunction against an insurance company and a St. Albans body shop owner accused of illegally installing junkyard parts on...
Missouri Republicans to Tackle Workers’ Compensation
Dec 28 2012 // Nearly two dozen years after Monroe Gunter retired from a long career at a Missouri power company, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer often caused by exposure to asbestos. Gunter sued his former employer, claiming...
Insurers Divided Over North Carolina Auto Insurance Rate System
Dec 28 2012 // A divided auto insurance industry will try again next year to change a unique regulatory system in North Carolina, which enjoys some of the lowest rates in the country. The industry will use the argument that average costs...
Judge Approves $7.8 Billion Settlement in BP Class Action Suit
Dec 26 2012 // A U.S. judge last Friday gave final approval to BP Plc’s settlement with individuals and businesses who lost money and property in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The order only addressed the settlement of...
Montana Lawmakers Want Pipeline Study Finished
Dec 26 2012 // Two U.S. senators from Montana are urging federal safety regulators to wrap up a yearlong study into whether oil spills into rivers, lakes and other water bodies across the U.S. have resulted from inadequately buried...
Any Prospects for Insurance Regulatory Changes in 2013?
Dec 26 2012 // Progress in making insurance regulatory changes has been slow, and there’s really nothing to indicate that the situation will change in the near future. The United States, however, has managed to make some relevant...
Australian Court Rules Workers’ Comp Covers Sex Mishap
Dec 20 2012 // An Australian court has ruled that a bureaucrat who was injured while having sex on a business trip is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The Full Bench of the Federal Court ruled Dec. 13 in favor of the...
56 Insurance Carriers Deemed High Performers in Texas Work Comp System
Dec 20 2012 // Texas workers’ compensation system regulators report that 56 insurance carriers have been deemed high performers in the system. Announcing the results of the fourth Insurance Carrier Performance Based Oversight...
Carriers ‘Uncertain’ About California Workers’ Comp Reform
Dec 19 2012 // Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of articles to look at California’s workers’ compensation reform law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2013. Insurance carriers, along with the many stakeholders...
Oklahoma Lawmaker, Texas Governor Want Teachers to Be Armed
Dec 19 2012 // Teachers and school administrators who receive proper training would be authorized to carry firearms on school campuses and at school events under a bill being drafted by an Oklahoma lawmaker. Republican Rep. Mark...
IIF Report Concludes Capital Curbs on Insurers Will Add to Government Burden
Dec 18 2012 // Proposed curbs on insurers aimed at preventing a repeat of AIG’s 2008 taxpayer bailout could raise the cost of insurance, making more people dependent on the state, a finance sector lobby group said. “As...
