Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
State Regulators Stress Uniformity of Administrative and Licensing Systems
Dec 12 2006 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners stressed its support for what it says is one of the strongest tools for state regulators, State Based Systems (SBS), during its recent meeting in San Antonio. SBS serves...
Ala.’s Bell Heads State Regulators; Kansas’ Praeger Next in Line
Dec 12 2006 // Members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners elected 2007 officers during last week’s winter meeting in San Antonio. Alabama Insurance Commissioner Walter Bell was named president, Kansas Insurance...
La. Gov.’s Spending Plans Approved by House Appropriations Committee
Dec 11 2006 // A nearly $2 billion package of pay raises, road repairs, insurance rebates, health care and other spending sought by Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco easily sped through a House committee Dec. 9. The House Appropriations...
Safeco Appointment Creates Controversy
Dec 11 2006 // The Associated Press is reporting that the recent appointment of Juan Vargas to serve as Safeco’s vice president of external relations is creating controversy. “The appointment of the San Diego lawmaker to one...
Deceased employee’s estate not entitled to workers’ comp benefits, appeals court rules
Dec 11 2006 // The Second Applegate Court of California has ruled in Six Flags Inc. vs. Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, et. al. that it is unconstitutional to award a $250,000 worker’s compensation death benefit to the...
Judge rules in favor of plaintiffs in New Orleans canal case
Dec 11 2006 // In a decision that could cost insurers billions of dollars more than they have already paid out in Hurricane Katrina claims, a federal judge in New Orleans ruled that ambiguities in some homeowners policies leave open the...
Declarations
Dec 11 2006 // Are the elves at work? “Just because it’s close to Christmas doesn’t mean the governor has to be Santa Claus. That’s not what the special session should be.” — Louisiana State Rep. Steve...
Conn. agents could face fight on contingent pay
Dec 11 2006 // Insurance executives would likely create a replacement incentive should lawmakers in Connecticut ban contingent commissions, as the state regulator has warned could happen. Executives voiced their dismay over possible...
Declarations
Dec 10 2006 // Are the elves at work? “Just because it’s close to Christmas doesn’t mean the governor has to be Santa Claus. That’s not what the special session should be.” — Louisiana State Rep. Steve...
Dec 10 2006 // People The Texas Surplus Lines Association Inc. announced the election of the following officers and directors: President Len Kaplan, executive vice president and CFO, Delta General Agency, Houston; Vice President Lana...
Declarations
Dec 10 2006 // Are the elves at work? “Just because it’s close to Christmas doesn’t mean the governor has to be Santa Claus. That’s not what the special session should be.” — Louisiana State Rep. Steve...
La. Lawmakers See Little Hope for Insurance Reform
Dec 8 2006 // Louisiana lawmakers will debate changes to state insurance laws beginning Dec. 8, but several said there’s little chance of passing major initiatives to address the problems homeowners face in finding and affording...
La. Legislative Panel Adds $1.6B to Budget but Stalls on $827M
Dec 7 2006 // Louisiana’s budget has been boosted by $1.6 billion, money lawmakers can spend in a special session scheduled to start Dec. 8. But the Senate president blocked attempts to enrich financial forecasts by another $827...
N.D. Senators Ask for Dismissal of Workers’ Comp Director
Dec 6 2006 // More than a dozen Democratic state legislators have signed a letter asking for the dismissal of North Dakota’s workers’ compensation director. The director, Sandy Blunt, said he will not resign, and the...
La. Gov. Presses Ahead with Special Session for Dec. 8-17
Dec 5 2006 // Despite calls to cancel, Gov. Kathleen Blanco issued her formal plan Dec. 2 to bring lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special legislative session to spend as much as $2 billion in new state dollars on pay raises, tax...
Insurers Get Serious About Enterprise Risk Management, Tillinghast Reports
Dec 5 2006 // Driven in part by increased demands from regulatory and rating agencies, enterprise risk management (ERM) has become integral to insurers’ business processes around the world. Sixty percent of survey respondents...
California To Rule on Industry Petition Becoming “Precedential Decision”
Dec 5 2006 // The California Office of Administrative Law (OAL) has decided to accept a petition filed by Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (IBA West) requesting review of the former Insurance Commissioner John Garmendi’s...
Insurer Group to La. Lawmakers: Avoid Hasty Decision-Making
Dec 4 2006 // Louisiana’s special legislative session begins Dec. 8 and insurers are urging lawmakers to exercise caution in when it comes to making decisions regarding solutions to insurance issues or how to spend the...
Judge Upholds $1 Million Workers Comp Fine in The Station Case
Dec 4 2006 // A judge last week upheld a $1.07 million fine imposed against the owners of The Station nightclub for failing to carry workers’ compensation insurance at the club, the site of a 2003 fire that killed 100 people,...
Mich. Bill Would Give Discounts to Seniors Taking Drivers Ed Class
Dec 4 2006 // When Michigan retirees Willie and Lois Gales asked for a way to ease a $200 increase in their auto insurance rate, they ended up at a two-day safety class in Detroit designed for older drivers. They got tips to prepare for...
