Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Thompson Joins NAIC as Manager of International Relations Unit
Jul 11 2011 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has hired a former Capitol Hill advisor as manager of International Relations. Eric Thompson will be responsible for coordinating state insurance regulators’...
California Workers’ Comp Doctors Take Aim at State Fund Contract
Jul 11 2011 // A controversy in the California workers’ compensation market over a revised provider contract threatens to erupt into an all-out legal brawl as doctors for injured workers and applicants’ attorneys take aim at...
Geneva Association Appoints Inscoe to Head Institutional Relations
Jul 8 2011 // International insurance think tank, The Geneva Association, announced the appointment of former Secretary General of the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI) and Deputy Director of the Federal Deposit...
Florida Tweaks Its Workers’ Compensation Law
Jul 8 2011 // A variety of changes to Florida’s workers’ compensation law went into effect July 1. Gov. Rick Scott signed into law CS/HB 1087, a catch-all insurance bill that includes changes relating to workers’...
Death in South Carolina Golf Cart Accident Raises Seat Belt Issue
Jul 8 2011 // Golf-cart accidents rarely cause serious injury or death in Beaufort County — only about a half-dozen have been documented in the past decade. Yet a recent accident that killed a woman in Sun City Hilton Head has law...
Certificates of Insurance, Staff Leasing Bills Signed by Texas Governor
Jul 7 2011 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry in mid-June signed a measure backed by agents groups that requires regulatory approval of property and casualty certificate of insurance forms provided to insureds as proof of insurance coverage. The...
California Court Expands Policyholders’ Right to Sue Insurers
Jul 7 2011 // An uptick in consumer protection lawsuits against California insurance companies is widely expected in the wake of a state appellate decision allowing a policyholder to sue The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies over...
California Bill Regulating Health Insurance Rates Passes Committee
Jul 7 2011 // A California bill that would allow state officials to reject rate increases proposed by health insurers has passed a key committee vote. The Senate Health Committee approved the measure in a 5-3 vote. The bill, AB52, now...
California Workers’ Compensation Law Draws Scrutiny with NFL Case
Jul 5 2011 // A leading Republican in the California State Legislature said he will push for an overhaul of a state labor law that makes the Golden State a magnet for workers’ compensation claims by injured former professional...
Analysis: Arkansas Health Exchange Faces Steep Odds in 2012
Jul 5 2011 // Arkansas’ top insurance official says he’ll “go down fighting” in favor of the state setting up insurance exchanges under the federal health care overhaul. It’s a fight he’s entering as...
U.S. Wary of Possible Cuba Oil Spill
Jul 5 2011 // With Cuba preparing to explore for oil 60 miles from Florida, the complicated politics of U.S.-Cuba relations are impeding U.S. efforts to get ready in case of a BP-style accident, analysts and oil experts said. The Obama...
Certificates of Insurance Legislation Signed by Texas Governor
Jul 4 2011 // Texas Gov. Rick Perryhas signed into law a measure backed by agents that requires regulatory approval of property and casualty certificate of insurance forms provided to insureds as proof of insurance...
Surplus Lines Sea Change: Calif.’s AB 315
Jul 4 2011 // California is expected to pass surplus lines regulations before July 21, 2011. On that date, the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2010 (NRRA) becomes effective, and only the “insured’s home...
New York Deregulates Large Commercial Lines
Jul 4 2011 // New York insurers and insurance agents are applauding lawmakers for giving final approval to a bill that eases regulations on commercial insurance products and rates. The bill exempts insurance policies written for large...
Calif. Homeowners Underinsurance Face Challenges
Jul 4 2011 // A series of new California homeowners regulations aimed at enhancing the standards and training for estimating the replacement value on homeowners’ insurance took effect on June 27. Meanwhile, two insurance trade...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Seeks Study on Day Care Insurance
Jul 4 2011 // Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Shelton has requested a legislative study to determine if the state can enact policies that result in all day care centers having liability insurance. “In recent years, we have made...
Insurance Agents Cheer State Commissioners’ Vote on Medical Loss Ratio
Jul 1 2011 // In a move being applauded by insurance agents, a task force of state insurance regulators has recommended that states support legislation to protect agent and broker commissions from the expense cap imposed on health...
Judge Blocks Sierra Club from Lawsuit Against BP
Jul 1 2011 // A federal magistrate judge has refused to allow the Sierra Club to join a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department against BP and other companies over last year’s disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Judge Sally...
Illinois Governor Signs Workers’ Compensation Reform
Jun 30 2011 // Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said companies should see their workers’ compensation premiums drop because of a new law he signed June 28 overhauling the system that takes care of employees injured on the...
Florida Court Hears Challenge to Governor’s Freeze of Regulations
Jun 30 2011 // The Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a challenge to Gov. Rick Scott’s suspension of state rulemaking. The case heard Wednesday was filed on behalf of Rosalie Whiley, who is blind. She said the...
