Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Florida to Hear Citizens Property Insurance Rate Hikes of 5% to 10%

Oct 20 2009 // Florida regulatory officials will hold a public hearing Nov. 10 on proposed hikes of between 5 and 10 percent in the premiums charged by Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-backed property insurer. If approved,...

Pinnacol Chief Blasts Colorado State Legislators’ Hearings

Oct 20 2009 // The chief executive of Pinnacol Assurance contends that the interim committee hearings investigating the state workers’ compensation insurer were biased in favor of injured workers. The committee, which was comprised...

California Gets Pay-As-You-Drive

Oct 19 2009 // Californians will soon be able to purchase pay-as-you-drive automobile insurance, as the final regulations have been approved. The regulations regarding pay-as-you-drive, which was originally proposed by state Insurance...

Declarations

Oct 19 2009 // Bigger, Hungrier “Large brokers enjoy certain advantages of scope and scale. At least in theory, their costs are lower, and they are able to provide a broader array of services. But small brokers are the engines of...

Oklahoma Lawmakers Again Studying Ways to Overhaul Worker’s Comp System

Oct 19 2009 // The Oklahoma House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee is considering a major overhaul of that state’s workers’ compensation system. State Rep. Mark McCullough, R-Sapulpa, a committee member...

Mississippi Court Rules Home Policy Covers Hurricane Wind Damage

Oct 19 2009 // In a 9-0 decision, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that so-called “all-risk home insurance policies may cover wind damage from hurricanes, even in situations where the loss is later exacerbated by water from...

Supreme Court Notebook: Judges as Umpires of Lawyers’ Compensation

Oct 16 2009 // Chief Justice John Roberts once famously and controversially described a judge’s role as akin to an umpire who merely calls balls and strikes. This past Wednesday, Roberts offered a new take on that argument in a...

Michigan Considers Not Prosecuting Underage Drinkers Who Call 911

Oct 16 2009 // Minors in Michigan wouldn’t be prosecuted for underage drinking if they or their friends call 911 for medical assistance under legislation approved this week with backing from state law enforcement and college...

Tennessee Hears Calls for Safety Oversight As ATV Death Toll Rises

Oct 16 2009 // An East Tennessee teenager’s weekend death in an all terrain vehicle accident brought the state’s 2009 death toll in ATV wrecks to eight, and a national consumer safety spokeswoman said the national death toll...

Calif. Lawmaker Won’t Cede Health Insurance Rescissions Fight

Oct 15 2009 // A California assemblyman said Tuesday he’ll try a third time to get strict measures on when health insurance companies can cancel policies approved into law. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday vetoed a bill backed...

Florida Approves 6.8% Workers’ Compensation Rate Cut

Oct 15 2009 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has given the green light to an overall statewide average workers’ compensation rate decrease of 6.8 percent. The decrease, which was proposed by the industry’s...

New Hampshire Argues Claim to $110M Malpractice Fund

Oct 15 2009 // New Hampshire will ask the state Supreme Court today to support its claim to $110 million in surplus from a fund that underwrites malpractice insurance. The central question is whether the fund’s policyholders have a...

White House Blasts Health Insurers’ Report on Costs of Reform Bill

Oct 13 2009 // The White House Monday blasted a report from the health insurance industry that said Senate healthcare legislation would lead to increases in annual insurance premiums of as much as $4,000 by 2019. The report for the...

Judge: Stanford, Others May Seek Defense Fees From Lloyd’s D&O Policy

Oct 13 2009 // Financier Allen Stanford and other executives who face charges related to an alleged $7 billion fraud may file claims for defense funds under a directors’ and officers’ insurance policy, a federal judge said...

Medical Lawsuit Curbs Would Save Billions, Congressional Study Finds

Oct 12 2009 // Limits on medical malpractice lawsuits would lead doctors to order up fewer unneeded tests and save taxpayers billions more than previously thought, budget umpires for Congress said in a reversal that puts the issue back...

Mississippi Court Rules Home Insurance Policy Covers Hurricane Wind Damage

Oct 9 2009 // In a 9-0 decision, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that so-called “all-risk” home insurance policies may cover wind damage from hurricanes, even in situations where the loss is later exacerbated by...

Arguments For and Against Credit Scores Begin in Michigan Court

Oct 9 2009 // Attorneys on both sides of the issue argued before the Michigan Supreme Court on Oct. 7 as to whether insurance companies should be allowed to use credit history in setting auto and home premium rates. The practice was...

Florida Insurance Chief Grilled by Lawmakers

Oct 8 2009 // Some insurance companies could go out of business if a major hurricane hits Florida, the state’s insurance commissioner told a Senate panel this week. But after more than an hour grilling by lawmakers, Commissioner...

California Commissioner Questions Workers’ Comp Increase

Oct 7 2009 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is indicating that he may not support the state Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s (WCIRB) request to increase the Workers Compensation Cost Claims...

States, Industry Worried Federal Insurance Office Would Regulate

Oct 7 2009 // State insurance regulators, insurance carriers and independent insurance agents are concerned that redrafted legislation to create a federal insurance office makes the new agency too much like a regulator. Testifying...