Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma House Committee Approves Texting Ban
Mar 4 2011 // Texting would be banned in school zones and for motorists under the age of 18 under legislation approved by an Oklahoma House committee. The measure by Rep. Danny Morgan of Prague was approved 9-7 by the House Public...
Oklahoma House Bill Would Cap Noneconomic Damages at $300K
Mar 2 2011 // House Bill 2128 has cleared the Oklahoma House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. The measure would include a cap of $300,000 for noneconomic damages in all civil actions and repeals the inactive indemnity fund. It...
Idaho Bill Says Driving & Texting OK, As Long As Driver Isn’t Distracted
Mar 1 2011 // An Idaho House representative has proposed a bill to allow people to text and drive — as long as they’re not distracted. House Bill 141, proposed by Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, says no person operating a...
Oklahoma Teacher Disfigured in Fire Opposes Liability Damage Caps
Feb 27 2011 // After a lengthy battle with breast cancer, Connie Plumlee was undergoing her last reconstructive surgery when something went horribly wrong. A fire believed to have started from a cauterizing tool in the operating room...
Oklahoma Senate Votes for $250K Limit on Jury Awards
Feb 25 2011 // The Oklahoma Senate has approved a bill to limit pain and suffering awards to $250,000, despite concerns from members that the decision should be made by juries. The Senate voted 29-18 for the bill by Sen. Anthony Sykes,...
Oklahoma Lawmakers Aim to Increase Consequences for Uninsured Motorists
Feb 23 2011 // To increase the incentive for all Oklahoma drivers to carry mandatory liability auto insurance, a House of Representatives committee voted to prohibit uninsured drivers from being able to sue for vague “pain and...
Oklahoma Governor Says She Won’t Replace Workers’ Comp System
Feb 21 2011 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says recommendations from a panel she appointed to overhaul the workers’ compensation system won’t include a proposal to change to a system where workers with claims don’t have...
People
Feb 21 2011 // Joe De Poo Dallas-based RISC Inc. added Joe de Poo as vice president in its Transportation Department. De Poo has more than 25 years of insurance industry experience, most of which has been dedicated to Commercial...
Declarations
Feb 21 2011 // An Incremental Approach “We have been working on lawsuit reform for years, taking mostly an incremental approach.” —Oklahoma Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore, chairman of the state Senate Judiciary Committee. The...
Oklahoma Agents Group Outlines Legislative Interests for 2011
Feb 18 2011 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (IIAO) is following a number of insurance related measures that have been introduced in the current state legislative session. According to IIAO President and CEO Dan Ramsey,...
Frigid Air, Snow, Worry Ranchers in Oklahoma, Arkansas
Feb 11 2011 // An icy blast tugged temperatures well below zero degrees in a large swath of the South on Feb. 10 leaving ranchers and farmers fretting about their animals after a winter storm dropped 2 feet of snow on parts of Arkansas...
Oklahoma Senate Committee Passes Lawsuit Reforms
Feb 10 2011 // The Oklahoma Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 8 approved five lawsuit reform measures that are key components of the Senate Republican legislative agenda. “We have been working on lawsuit reform for years, taking...
Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Wants Workers’ Comp Overhaul
Feb 8 2011 // Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello is asking lawmakers to overhaul the state’s workers’ compensation system. Costello appeared before the Oklahoma House’s Committee on Insurance. He’s...
Declarations
Feb 7 2011 // Oil Spill Prevention “We must ensure that we have systems in place in our government and in the industry so that this cannot happen again.” —U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Commission Co-Chair Sen....
Oklahoma Cat Response Team Includes State Officials, Industry Members
Feb 4 2011 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak has formed a catastrophe response task force to coordinate efforts of the department and the industry in the aftermath of the recent winter storm. “This is the first time the...
Oklahoma Digging Out Slowly After Blizzard; Disaster Declared
Feb 4 2011 // As Oklahomans continue to slowly dig out of 20 inches of snow, sleet and ice that shut down major interstates and forced the closure of airports, businesses and schools, law enforcement agencies are warning of the slog...
Midwest Buckles Under Storm
Feb 3 2011 // A massive storm billed as the worst in decades barreled toward the northeast Wednesday, leaving vast swaths from Chicago to New York paralyzed by snow and ice, stranding hundreds of motorists all night and shuttering...
Oklahoma Seeks Out-of-State Adjusters to Help with Storm Claims
Feb 2 2011 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner has issued an emergency order granting licenses to insurance adjusters form other states to help cope with claims expected as a result of a major winter storm. The state is among those being...
Oklahoma Senator Seeking Transparency in Health Insurance Rate Increases
Jan 28 2011 // Oklahoma State Sen. Earl Garrison wants insurance companies to be accountable to citizens and justify any rate increases. He has introduced Senate Bill 354, which would ensure that premium rate information relating to the...
Oklahoma Lawmaker, Manufactured Housing Assoc. Tackling Tornado Safety
Jan 27 2011 // Oklahoma State Rep. Pat Ownbey and the Manufactured Housing Association of Oklahoma Board of Directors’ are seeking to develop sample emergency plans for mobile home communities to prevent deaths in the event of a...
