Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Illinois Lawmakers Pass Autism Law; Only Six States Require Coverage
Nov 24 2008 // Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is expected to sign a bill requiring insurers to cover autism treatment up to $36,000 a year until a patient turns 21. An estimated 4,500 Illinois families would benefit from the coverage....
Fire Officials Worry About Homemade Bodiesel
Nov 24 2008 // As the price of fuel increased in recent months, Arizona authorities are wondering about hte potential toxicity of homemade biodiesel. Phoenix fire officials say it’s part of a trend of area residents using chemicals...
Ex-Pennsylvania Judge Found Guilty of Insurance Fraud
Nov 21 2008 // A retired Pennsylvania appellate judge was convicted of mail fraud and money laundering after prosecutors said he lied about neck and back injuries in a fender bender to collect $440,000 from two insurance...
Massachusetts AG Wants Hearing on Insurance Company’s Auto Rates
Nov 21 2008 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has asked the Division of Insurance to initiate an administrative rate proceeding to review the new auto insurance rates of Premier Insurance Co., a subsidiary of Travelers...
Ohio Director Says No to Federal Oversight, No to National Cat Plan
Nov 20 2008 // A public servant, attorney and community leader, Mary Jo Hudson officially took office as the 46th director of the Ohio Department of Insurance on Jan. 8, 2007. Just coming up on two years in office, Hudson speaks her mind...
Ohio Judge Sides With Challenge on Workers’ Comp
Nov 20 2008 // An Ohio judge on Nov. 18 blocked the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation from setting job-injury insurance rates while a lawsuit brought by several business owners moves forward. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge...
Massachusetts Extends Deadline for Businesses to Encrypt Data
Nov 19 2008 // The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has extended by at least four months a deadline for businesses to electronically encrypt digital records of their customers’ personal information. The new regulations – which...
Lloyd’s Expects U.S. To Adopt Federal Regulation of Insurance
Nov 19 2008 // Pushed by the global economic crisis, the United States is expected to embrace federal regulation of the insurance industry as early as 2009, according to some financial and insurance executives. Federal regulation in the...
Wisconsin Emergency Plan Calls for Secret Succession List
Nov 19 2008 // Wisconsin lawmakers would submit secret lists of emergency successors under a bill a state disaster committee adopted Wednesday. The Legislative Council Special Committee on Emergency Management and Continuity of...
Judge Throws Out ‘Bad Faith’ Claim Against Texas Mutual
Nov 19 2008 // A judge in Guadalupe County, Texas, has dismissed a case alleging that Texas Mutual Insurance Company acted in “bad faith” in a workers’ compensation case involving a pre-existing medical condition. Texas...
Michigan Consumer Advocate Hosts Final Public Hearing in Detroit
Nov 18 2008 // Michigan’s Automobile and Home Insurance Consumer Advocate Melvin Butch Hollowell held the final public hearing in Detroit on Saturday, Nov. 15 to hear from consumers and industry experts about the affordability of...
Treasurer Paulson Defends Actions; Says There’s ‘No Playbook’ for Crisis
Nov 18 2008 // U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. told members of the House Committee on Financial Services that there is “no playbook” for dealing with the current financial crisis and defended the...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Renews Push for Workers’ Comp Reform
Nov 18 2008 // Laying the groundwork for the coming legislative session, Oklahoma state Rep. Mark McCullough recently presented a workers’ comp reform proposal to business leaders that he believes will drive down costs while...
Main Points from G20 Leaders Summit Communique
Nov 17 2008 // G20 leaders agreed to take rapid action, including fiscal stimulus measures as needed, to stabilize financial markets and restore growth in worsening global economy, according to a draft communique. They also support...
Closings Set in Insurance Fraud Trial of Former Pennsylania Judge
Nov 17 2008 // A federal court jury in Pittsburgh has had a long weekend to mull nearly three weeks of testimony in the fraud trial of a retired Pennsylvania appellate judge. Testimony wrapped up Thursday and the jury will return today...
Supporters Ask Illinois Supeme Court to Uphold Malpractice Caps
Nov 17 2008 // A 2005 law limiting the amount of money juries may award in medical malpractice cases unfairly targets those most seriously injured who deserve the most compensation, lawyers told the Illinois Supreme Court on Nov....
It Figures
Nov 16 2008 // 2 Deer are causing more problems for Nebraskans, and it’s not just on the highways. Two homeowners reported that deer crashed into their houses recently, according to the Associated Press. Monnie and Harvey Maske say...
People
Nov 16 2008 // The Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina elected Neil T. Annas as the association’s new president for the 2008 to 2009 term. Annas, president of Granite Insurance Agency Inc. in Granite Falls, N.C., was...
Now is Not the Time for Insurance Industry Retreat
Nov 16 2008 // The word change has been largely embraced by the country this election season. As small business owners, the concept of change in our industry is something we have long been familiar with. Changes in the marketplace are...
Strategic Planning for an Increasing Direct Writer Marketplace
Nov 16 2008 // The traditional role of an insurance agent in the sale of insurance products to potential policyholders has changed dramatically over the years. Historically, the agent was the customer’s first and only point of...
