Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Governor Proposes New Worker’s Compensation Rules
Dec 30 2004 // The Schwarzenegger administration has released a sweeping set of regulations aimed at revising how doctors evaluate permanent injuries to workers and how much compensation they are paid. The new regulations, unveiled last...
PCI Reacts Cautiously to NAIC’s Partial Producer Licensing Act Adoption
Dec 30 2004 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America has released a statement, indicating that the action of regulators to delay consideration of one critical section of the proposed amendment to its Producer Licensing...
Battle Looms Over Ga. Medical Liability Reform Legislation, Its Effect on Premiums
Dec 29 2004 // Storm clouds are looming over medical liability reform legislation about to be introduced in the 2005 Georgia General Assembly which would make it harder for insurance companies to raise their rates and thus, supposedly...
Mass. Lawmakers Approve Anti-Runner Bill
Dec 29 2004 // Massachusetts lawmakers have passed an insurance fraud bill that targets so-called “runners” who recruit others to participate in staged car accidents to collect the insurance. The bill makes the practice a...
Maryland Gov. Ehrlich’s Med-Mal Proposal Unveiled; Special Legislative Session Gets Underway Today
Dec 28 2004 // Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., on Dec. 22 provided Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch a copy of the medical malpractice legislation that will be introduced during special...
Okla. Prosecutors to Appeal Judge’s Dismissal of Embezzlement Count Against Fisher
Dec 28 2004 // Oklahoma state prosecutors plan to appeal a judge’s recent decision to dismiss an embezzlement count against former state Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher, according to the Associated Press. “I’m not...
Dewhurst, Jackson Lay Out Plan for Insurer Penalties
Dec 23 2004 // Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst once again called on State Farm to reduce homeowner’s insurance rates recently as he laid out the second part of the Texas Legislature’s insurance reform effort, the Associated...
HRH Releases D&O Snapshot and Forecast for 2005
Dec 23 2004 // Hilb Rogal & Hobbs has released its Directors and Officers Liability Snapshot and Insurance Market Forecast for 2005. Legislation, regulatory activity, litigation and corporate governance requirements continue to...
Mass. Gov. Romney Nixes LTC Tax Break
Dec 23 2004 // Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is blocking a bill that Democratic lawmakers hoped would expand access to insurance for long term care, saying the state can’t afford a tax cut that would cause a $10 million annual...
Proposed Calif. Producer Compensation Regulation Confusing, Unnecessary Says ACIC
Dec 22 2004 // The Association of California Insurance Companies (ACIC) strongly criticized a proposed California Department of Insurance regulation on insurance agent and broker practices because the measure is overly broad, poorly...
Insurers Claim Regulators’ Open Meetings Policy Ignored
Dec 22 2004 // “Any NAIC deliberation or decision that has legal or persuasive effect on insurance law and regulation is the public’s business and must be conducted in a public setting,” stated a National Association of...
Wis. Appeals Court: Judge Erred in General Casualty Auto Liability Limits Ruling
Dec 22 2004 // WAUSAU, Wis.—A Brown County judge erred in ruling that a car insurance policy must provide $1 million in coverage following a deadly crash involving a 16-year-old driver, a state appeals court ruled recently. The policy...
New Calif. Legislation Becomes Law on Jan. 1
Dec 21 2004 // A number of new insurance-related bills will go into law in California on Jan. 1, 2005. They include: Auto Insurance AB 2677 (Ridley-Thomas – Auto Insurance: Cost Estimates) requires insurers to provide personal auto...
Negligent Criminal Acts Excluded from Yacht Policy, Court Rules in Case of N.H. Boating Death
Dec 21 2004 // A New Hampshire boater sued for wrongful death by the wife of a victim in an accident he caused was not covered under his yacht policy, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has ruled. The insured, Daniel...
Medicare Looms as Budget Remains a Logistical Issue for States
Dec 20 2004 // A Medicare prescription drug benefit for senior citizens through private plans is still more than a year away. But for state lawmakers and health officials preparing to help administer the complex new law, crunch time is...
Connect the Dots in 2005 and They Spell Government
Dec 20 2004 // Center stage will belong to government in 2005. While it lacks the sizzle of themes from prior years–consolidation, convergence, digitization and hard market–it will have a more immediate and profound...
Ohio’s Gov. Taft Pushes Hard to Get Comprehensive Tort Reform
Dec 20 2004 // Insurers and business interests appear to have won another victory in Ohio, as Gov. Robert Taft will soon sign a broad tort reform bill that caps jury awards and limits products and obesity liability. This follows on the...
ILL. JUDGE RULES COMP FEE HIKE IMPROPER:
Dec 20 2004 // An Illinois Cook County circuit judge has ruled that a state increase in fees paid by employers into the state’s workers compensation fund was improper because it was used to help plug a gaping hole in the general...
Connect the Dots in 2005 and it Spells Government
Dec 20 2004 // Center stage will belong to Government in 2005. While it lacks the sizzle of themes from prior years–consolidation, convergence, digitization and hard market–it will have a more immediate and profound...
CONN. AG URGES STATE CODES:
Dec 20 2004 // Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal repeated his call for state insurance regulators to establish a code of professional responsibility for agents and brokers in a letter to the National Association of...
