Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Workers’ Comp Research Group Lays Out 2017 Agenda
May 23 2017 // The Texas Workers’ Compensation Research and Evaluation Group has released its 2017 research agenda, a blueprint for its efforts to provide critical data for decision-makers in the Texas workers’ compensation...
Texas Senate Passes Texting While Driving Ban
May 22 2017 // The Texas Senate on May 19 passed a measure banning texting while driving statewide. HB 62 by Midland Rep. Tom Craddick previously was approved by the House. While more than 100 cities in the state have texting and driving...
In Defeat for Patent Trolls, Supreme Court Limits Venue for Lawsuits
May 22 2017 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday tightened rules for where patent lawsuits can be filed in a decision that may make it harder for so-called patent “trolls” to launch sometimes dodgy patent cases in friendly...
Texas Christian Camp to Settle Federal Discrimination Suit for $70K
May 19 2017 // Carolina Creek Christian Camp Inc., a Huntsville, Texas-area business offering summer camping and retreats, will pay $70,000 and furnish other relief to settle a pregnancy and disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the...
Residents Assess Damage After Night of Tornadoes in Central U.S.
May 18 2017 // Residents of an Oklahoma subdivision and a Wisconsin trailer park that were leveled by deadly tornadoes sifted through what remained of their homes and possessions Wednesday, even as forecasters warned of another round of...
Bill Setting Statewide Rules for Ridesharing Companies Passes Texas Senate
May 18 2017 // A bill that would preempt local regulations for ridesharing companies in Texas and replace them statewide standards has passed the Texas Senate. It now heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. HB 100,...
Injured Worker Attorney Involvement Varies Widely by State
May 18 2017 // There is a wide variation in the percentage of claims with worker attorneys involvement across state workers’ compensation systems, according to the latest research from the Workers Compensation Research Institute...
Texas ‘Hailstorm’ Litigation Bill Headed to Governor’s Desk
May 17 2017 // Legislation backed by the insurance industry and some Texas business groups that curtails the ability of policyholders to sue insurance companies over property claims following extreme weather events has passed the state...
Texas Wholesale Insurance Broker LevelFirst Promotes Innocent to VP
May 17 2017 // LevelFirst, the Dallas-based wholesale broker and MGA binding facility owned by IIAT Services Co., has promoted Kate Innocent to vice president. The promotion coincides with Innocent receiving a life/health insurance...
Texas Senate Committee Again Looks at Texting Ban
May 16 2017 // Another bill that would ban texting and driving has been taken up by the Senate State Affairs committee. The committee approved the Senate version, SB 31 by Laredo Sen. Judith Zaffirini in March, but the measure never made...
Travis Named VP at Texas Wholesale Broker LevelFirst
May 16 2017 // LevelFirst, the Dallas-based wholesale broker and MGA binding facility owned by IIAT Services Co., has appointed Mary Travis as vice president. Travis is based in Houston. She will service new and existing clients in the...
Surplus Lines Could Meet Your Insured’s Flood Coverage Needs
May 15 2017 // The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been the topic of much debate in recent years, especially with the program set to expire on September 30. The NFIP is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency...
People – South Central
May 15 2017 // Workers’ compensation insurer, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., named Jeremiah Bentley as vice president of marketing and customer engagement. He joined Texas Mutual in 1998 and has served in a variety of roles across the...
Louisiana Worker’ Comp Rates Are Down, but Costs per Claim Growing
May 15 2017 // Workers’ compensation rates decreased statewide in Louisiana on May 1 by 9.8 percent, marking the fourth year in a row rates have dropped in that state, according to insurance regulators. In January, the Louisiana...
Insurance Industry-Backed Storm Damage Bill Passes Texas House
May 15 2017 // The passage in the Texas House of a bill limiting liability for property insurance companies sued by policyholders following weather related events has given the insurance industry, which lobbied strongly for the bill,...
Higginbotham Acquires Part of Hilb Group of Texas
May 12 2017 // Fort Worth, Texas-based insurance agency, Higginbotham, has purchased a portion of the Hilb Group of Texas LLC’s operations in San Antonio. The transaction adds eight insurance and customer service professionals with...
Texas Public Safety Agencies Embracing Drone Use
May 12 2017 // Government use of aerial drones became much easier when the Federal Aviation Administration flipped the switch on new regulations last year. The Austin American-Statesman reports since then, a number of Austin-area public...
Texas’ State National Companies: Revenues Up in Q1 2017
May 11 2017 // State National Companies Inc., a Bedford, Texas-based specialty provider of property/casualty insurance services, reported an 18 percent increase in total revenues for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017. The company...
Insurance Partners of Texas Acquired by Marsh & McLennan Agency
May 8 2017 // Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), the middle market agency subsidiary of Marsh, has acquired Insurance Partners of Texas, an Abilene, Texas-based employee benefits consulting firm. Terms of the transaction were not...
Louisiana’s Schilling and Texas’ Shepard Receive Big ‘I’ Awards
May 5 2017 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) honored two agents from South Central states with awards at the annual Big “I” Legislative Conference. Lee Schilling...
