Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Oklahoma Insurance Department to Cut 6 Fraud Investigators
Jan 25 2011 // Oklahoma’s new insurance commissioner plans to lay off six of the office’s nine fraud investigators. Commissioner John Doak says the cuts will save $323,000 per year and will enable the office to focus on fraud...
People
Jan 24 2011 // Incoming Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak has appointed 10 members of his staff to lead the Oklahoma Insurance Department: Mike Rhoads is deputy commissioner of Health Insurance; Denise Engle is deputy...
TWFG Opens Locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon
Jan 24 2011 // Texas-based retail and managing general agency, The Woodlands Financial Group Inc. (TWFG), has opened three new branch locations — one each in Texas, Oklahoma and Oregon. Berry Olinghouse has opened a new branch location...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Proposes Texting While Driving Ban
Jan 21 2011 // Texting while driving would be illegal in Oklahoma under a bill being proposed in the House. State Rep. Danny Morgan, D-Prague, unveiled the bill Jan. 19, flanked by members of law enforcement, health officials and...
Work Comp, Tort Reform on Oklahoma Senate Republicans’ Agenda
Jan 21 2011 // The Republicans in the Oklahoma Senate say they are focusing on job creation and budget challenges in their legislative agenda this year. Workers’ compensation and tort reform are among the initiatives they say are...
Clingman, Harkey Appointed to Okla. Workers’ Comp Court Leadership Posts
Jan 19 2011 // Before he left office, former Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry made two appointments to leadership positions with the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court. Judge Michael J. Harkey was named presiding judge of the court,...
