Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
La. Gov. Wraps up Calif. Trip with Plea to Insurance Executives
Feb 2 2007 // Insurance executives are growing more interested in doing business in Louisiana because of recent moves by the Florida Legislature that the industry considers government meddling, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said recently. Blanco...
Judge Approves Deal Over Katrina-Related Urban Oil Spill in La.
Feb 1 2007 // A federal judge on Jan. 30 approved a settlement between Murphy Oil Corp. and about 6,000 St. Bernard Parish, La., homeowners over an oil spill that happened during Hurricane Katrina. In a three-page ruling, U.S. District...
Maryland Told It Must Comply with Federal Real ID Driver’s License Act
Feb 1 2007 // Maryland must comply with the federal Real ID Act, Transportation Secretary nominee John D. Porcari told the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The Real ID Act mandates that states verify documents proving an applicant is a...
Kentucky Asks Judge to Reverse Ruling on Christian Health Plan
Feb 1 2007 // The Kentucky Office of Insurance has asked a judge to reconsider his decision to allow a Christian-only health care plan to continue operating in the state. Other states recognize Medi-Share as insurance and subject it to...
Fla. Gov. Crist Persuades Cabinet to Block Insurers’ Exit
Feb 1 2007 // In a forceful rebuke to insurance companies, Gov. Charlie Crist cajoled fellow Cabinet members into approving a rule Tuesday that will prevent property insurers from canceling Florida policies for much of the rest of this...
Washington Commissioner Issues Multiple Fines, Enforcement Actions
Jan 31 2007 // Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner has ordered UnitedHealthcare Insurance Co. of Minneapolis to pay a $59,000 fine following an agency investigation into the company’s use of unapproved contracts...
Okla. Lawmakers Riled Over Delay in Emergency Declaration
Jan 31 2007 // The Bush administration’s delay in issuing a “major disaster declaration” after this month’s devastating ice storm has angered some lawmakers in eastern Oklahoma, where local governments have been...
Judge Reduces State Farm’s Punitive Damages in Miss. Katrina Case
Jan 31 2007 // The federal judge overseeing the Katrina claims cases in Mississippi has reduced a recent $2.5 million jury award of punitive damages against State Farm to $1 million. U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter ruled that a punitive...
Fla. Emergency Rule Would Freeze Insurers’ Moves Until June
Jan 31 2007 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist proposed an emergency rule Monday to guarantee insurers do not raise property insurance rates or cancel policies before a law he signed last week to lower rates goes into effect on June 1. Crist...
Arizona Lawmakers Move to Raise Burden of Proof on ER Suits
Jan 31 2007 // Hoping for a change of heart by Gov. Janet Napolitano, the Arizona Senate on Monday narrowly approved a medical malpractice bill to raise the bar on the legal burden of proof required for malpractice lawsuits involving...
Biggest U.S. Companies Fail to Disclose Climate Change Risks to Investors, Study Says
Jan 31 2007 // Despite growing financial losses in various business sectors from climate change, over half of the nation’s 500 largest publicly traded companies are doing a poor job of disclosing climate change risks to their...
Group Urges Legislators to Reintroduce Surplus Lines Reform Bill
Jan 31 2007 // National Association Professional Surplus Lines Offices is urging members of the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs to enact the surplus lines and reinsurance...
Ark. Gov. Names New Judge for Workers’ Comp Commission
Jan 30 2007 // Ark. Gov. Mike Beebe has appointed Chandra Hicks as the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission’s newest Administrative Law Judge, the AWCC reported. The AWCC administrates the state’s workers’...
New Mo. Law Requires Service Contractors to be Licensed
Jan 29 2007 // A new law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 requires that all vehicle service contract administrators must register with the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration by...
Agents, brokers ready to pursue ambitious legislative agenda in 2007
Jan 29 2007 // There is a new political dynamic in Congress that presents both opportunities and pitfalls. Last year, the President signed into law pension and health care reform that will greatly benefit insurance consumers. House...
Industry leaders debate regulation in wake of Democratic Congress shift
Jan 29 2007 // The Professional Liability Underwriting Society held its international conference in Chicago in late 2006. Moderating a conference panel, television journalist Forrest Sawyer, a 24-year veteran of ABC, CBS and MSNBC,...
Agents, brokers ready to pursue ambitious legislative agenda in 2007
Jan 29 2007 // There is a new political dynamic in Congress that presents both opportunities and pitfalls. Last year, the President signed into law pension and health care reform that will greatly benefit insurance consumers. House...
Agents, brokers ready to pursue ambitious legislative agenda in 2007
Jan 29 2007 // There is a new political dynamic in Congress that presents both opportunities and pitfalls. Last year, the President signed into law pension and health care reform that will greatly benefit insurance consumers. House...
There’s a lot insurers do not like in Florida’s property insurance fix
Jan 29 2007 // Legislators rolled up their sleeves, ripped off their ties and unbuttoned their collars as a special legislative session on property insurance came to a head in Florida. After six days of conferring, negotiating and...
Industry leaders debate federal vs. state regulation with Democratic Congress shift
Jan 29 2007 // The Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) held its international conference in Chicago in late 2006. Moderating the panel was television journalist Forrest Sawyer, a 24-year veteran of ABC, CBS and MSNBC, who...
