Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Arguments For and Against Credit Scores Begin in Michigan Court

Oct 9 2009 // Attorneys on both sides of the issue argued before the Michigan Supreme Court on Oct. 7 as to whether insurance companies should be allowed to use credit history in setting auto and home premium rates.The practice was...

Florida Insurance Chief Grilled by Lawmakers

Oct 8 2009 // Some insurance companies could go out of business if a major hurricane hits Florida, the state’s insurance commissioner told a Senate panel this week.But after more than an hour grilling by lawmakers, Commissioner...

California Commissioner Questions Workers’ Comp Increase

Oct 7 2009 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is indicating that he may not support the state Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s (WCIRB) request to increase the Workers Compensation Cost Claims...

States, Industry Worried Federal Insurance Office Would Regulate

Oct 7 2009 // State insurance regulators, insurance carriers and independent insurance agents are concerned that redrafted legislation to create a federal insurance office makes the new agency too much like a regulator.Testifying before...

New York Judge Awards Patient with Bedsores $2.2M

Oct 6 2009 // A New York court has ordered a hospital to pay $2.2 million to a quadriplegic man who developed bedsores “all the way down to the bone.”Attorney Raymond Keegan says caregivers failed to turn Eric Trainor every...

FERMA Welcomes 1100 to Prague Risk Management Conference

Oct 6 2009 // The Federation of European Risk Management Associations convened its bi-annual conference in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, on Monday, welcoming some 1100 attendees, and two new members.Newly installed...

Judge Denies Dartmouth College Request in Ski Death Case

Oct 5 2009 // A federal judge has denied a request by Dartmouth College to rule in its favor on a lawsuit over the death of a student in a 2004 skiing accident. Christina Porter was in an introductory skiing class to fulfill her...

New York Earns Accreditation by Insurance Commissioners’ Group

Oct 5 2009 // The New York State Insurance Department has been accredited under the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Financial Regulations Standards and Accreditation Program.“State insurance...

States Give a ‘Thumbs Up’ to Fingerprinting Insurance Producers

Oct 5 2009 // Don’t be alarmed, but there are convicted criminals roaming around the country acting as insurance producers. They could be robbers, forgers, possibly even rapists.They got their producer licenses in states that did...

Declarations

Oct 5 2009 // No Government Handouts “Property/casualty insurers have not asked for government handouts, and our industry is stable and continuing to provide critical services to local economies and their communities.” —J....

Sheffield Joins Georgia Insurance Commissioner Race

Oct 5 2009 // Attorney Maria Sheffield has become the latest candidate to enter the Republican primary to be the next insurance commissioner in Georgia.Sheffield is an attorney with Burr, Forman LLP, where she handles regulatory and...

States Give a ‘Thumbs Up’ to Fingerprinting Insurance Producers

Oct 5 2009 // Don’t be alarmed, but there are convicted criminals roaming around the country acting as insurance producers. They could be robbers, forgers, possibly even rapists.They got their producer licenses in states that did...

Declarations

Oct 5 2009 // They Could Have Been Fixed“The people could have fixed their homes if they had money. But they (state officials) are so scared that somebody’s going to get a dime they shouldn’t have gotten, nobody gets...

Colorado Considers Laws for Pinnacol

Oct 5 2009 // Colorado lawmakers have filed bills to require better oversight for the state’s workers’ compensation insurer, saying they can’t ignore problems uncovered during weeks of hearings this summer.The...

California Fires Renew Push for National Arson Registry

Oct 5 2009 // The deadly fire at Angeles National Forest is renewing a push from California lawmakers for a national registry of convicted arsonists.Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have filed legislation that would...

2009 a Boom Year for Government Activity on Insurance

Oct 5 2009 // Legislative and regulatory activity affecting the insurance industry has increased considerably in 2009 compared to the previous two years, according to a new report.From January to July 2009, more than 10,000 pieces of...

Surplus Lines Has Answer for Increasing Data Breach Exposure

Oct 5 2009 // Cell phones, smart phones, MP3 players, computers, e-mail, the list goes on and on of technological inventions that are part of our everyday lives.The observation that electronic data density doubles every 18 months —...

House Panel Releases Bill Creating Federal Insurance Office

Oct 2 2009 // Congress got a look yesterday at a draft of legislation to create a federal insurance office that would work on international insurance issues as well as monitor the insurance industry and insurers for anything that might...

Driver Distraction Costs 6,000 Lives a Year; Many Teens

Oct 1 2009 // Opening a government meeting on auto safety, the Obama administration reported Wednesday that nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction, a...

Okla. Lawmakers: Halt Denial of Claims to Domestic Violence Victims

Oct 1 2009 // Oklahoma is one of only eight states that allow health insurance companies to classify domestic violence as a “pre-existing condition,” two state lawmakers say.Democratic state Rep. Eric Proctor and Republican...