Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Senate Passes Commercial Auto Tort Reform Bill
May 21 2021 // A bill that proponents say will help control abusive lawsuits against commercial motor vehicle operators following accidents has passed the Texas Senate. House Bill 19 would have a big impact on the commercial auto...
Pilot Failed to Control Plane in Texas Crash That Killed 10: NTSB
May 21 2021 // A pilot’s failure to control a small airplane when it lost thrust in one of two engines seconds after takeoff in suburban Dallas led to a 2019 crash that killed all 10 people aboard, federal officials said in a...
Louisiana, Texas Brace for More Heavy Rain and Flooding
May 21 2021 // Heavy rain across the eastern Texas and western Louisiana Gulf Coasts may bring more flooding on Friday, the National Weather Service said, with rainfall-related deaths rising to five in Louisiana. Of the five deaths, four...
Texas Commercial Vehicle Crash Liability Bill Advances in Senate
May 18 2021 // People affected by crashes causing bodily injury or death involving commercial motor vehicles would find it harder to win damages from companies under a bill that was approved by the Texas House and is making its way...
Texas Manufacturer Fined $558.8K for Workplace Safety Violations
May 18 2021 // A Waco, Texas-based bath and shower manufacturer has been cited for 19 workplace safety violations and fined $558,821 by federal workplace safety officials. An inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s...
People Moves: Texas Mutual Promotes Potter to CFO, Martin to Sr. VP-HR
May 17 2021 // Texas Mutual Workers’ compensation insurer, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., has promoted Bill Potter to chief financial officer (CFO). Potter, a certified public accountant, succeeds Mike Barron, who served as Texas...
Texas Passes Restrictive Abortion Bill That Expands Exposure to Lawsuits
May 13 2021 // Legislation that would ban abortions after as early as six weeks — before many women know they are pregnant — and let virtually any private citizen sue abortion providers and others was given final approval by...
Texas Bill Requires Auto Insurance Policies to Allow Appraisal Challenges
May 13 2021 // A bill recently passed out of the Texas House of Representatives Insurance Committee would secure the right of an auto insurance policyholder to challenge their insurance company’s appraisal of a loss if they...
Tesla Owner Got into Driver’s Seat Before Deadly Texas Crash: NTSB
May 12 2021 // Home security camera footage shows that the owner of a Tesla got into the driver’s seat of the car shortly before a deadly crash in suburban Houston, according to a new government report. But the preliminary report...
SageSure, SURE to Add Coverage Options for Coastal Property in Texas
May 12 2021 // SageSure, a managing general underwriter and insurtech specializing in catastrophe-prone property markets, and SureChoice Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (SURE), have partnered to expand insurance capacity for homeowners...
Nearly $748M in Texas Surplus Lines Premiums Reported in April
May 11 2021 // The Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) says recorded $747.99 million in surplus lines premium in April, an amount representing a 0.8% increase over April 2020. Cumulatively, this represents a total of $2.75...
Two Bills Relating to Auto Insurance Claims Practices Advance in Texas
May 11 2021 // The Texas House of Representatives recently advance two pieces of legislation that address claims arising out of vehicle accidents. House Bill 359 The Texas House May 7 passed House Bill 359, which addresses delaying...
Texas Crash Deaths Among Unbuckled Motorists Rose in 2020
May 11 2021 // Texas saw a spike in the number of traffic crash fatalities of people not wearing a seat belt last year, state transportation authorities say. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) said in 2020 there was a 16%...
Texas Judge Refuses to Dismiss Theater Chain’s COVID Lawsuit
May 10 2021 // A federal judge in Sherman, Texas on May 5 ruled against an insurer that sought to dismiss a $500 million COVID-19 business interruption lawsuit by the nation’s third-largest chain of movie theaters. The decision...
Texas Fetal “Heartbeat” Bill Expands Lawsuit Liabilities Well Beyond Patient, Provider
May 7 2021 // Texas lawmakers are poised to enact sweeping restrictions on access to abortions, prohibiting the procedure before many women know they are pregnant, and opening the door for a potential flood of lawsuits against abortion...
People Moves: Janes Joins Woodruff Sawyer in Texas; Hamel Named Sr. VP, Sales at AMERISAFE
May 7 2021 // Woodruff Sawyer San Francisco-based insurance broker and consulting firm Woodruff Sawyer has added Jon Janes to its Management Liability team as a vice president. He is based in Austin, Texas. Janes specializes in D&O...
Texas Requiring Email for All Insurance Licensed Entities, Including Agents
May 7 2021 // The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has adopted a rule that requires individuals, agencies, and companies regulated by TDI to designate an email address for official communications from TDI. To add or update an email...
Many Safety Issues Found Where Texas Oilfield Worker Died from Gas Leak
May 6 2021 // In its report on the Oct. 26, 2019, hydrogen sulfide gas release that killed a Texas oilfield worker and his wife, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) says it found multiple safety issues at the site where the incident...
Insurance Bills Begin to Move in Texas Legislature
May 5 2021 // Numerous insurance-related bills have been filed during the current Texas legislative session and many of them have begun moving in the Texas House and Senate. Among those bills that have recently been acted on and are of...
‘A-‘ Rating Assigned to Texas Insurers, Southlake Specialty and Westlake Specialty
May 5 2021 // AM Best has assigned a financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” to Southlake Specialty Insurance Co. (SSIC) and its subsidiary, Westlake Specialty Insurance Co.,...
