Latest Legislation Headlines

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

10 La. judge says water may be covered

Jan 7 2007 // Ruling against La. Citizens could affect more insurers10 Survey says party hosts are underinsured Trusted Choice reports 28.5 million need more coverage12 Miss. AG’s Katrina lawsuit movedJudge rules state court more...

Ark. starts insurance plan for low-income workers

Jan 7 2007 // Enrollment began Dec. 20, 2006, in Arkansas for a program partly paid by Medicaid dollars that will eventually offer insurance to 80,000 low-income workers. The Associated Press reported that health officials hope the...

News Currents

Jan 7 2007 // Oregon promotes best practices with IMSA membershipThe Oregon Insurance Division is recognizing the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association as a group that can help to establish “best practices” and promote...

Enron’s legacies and directors’ and officers’ risk

Jan 7 2007 // Shortly after former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling’s Oct. 23, 2006, sentencing, the Enron Task Force said it was closing down, with its mission mostly complete. Yet did that event really signal an endpoint in the Enron...

Thabault Promoted to Top Job at Vermont Regulatory Agency

Jan 5 2007 // Vermont Governor Jim Douglas has appointed Paulette Thabault as the Commissioner of the Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISHCA). Thabault steps into the position upon the...

Okla. Lawmaker Files ‘Negative Outcomes’ Insurance Bill

Jan 5 2007 // Oklahoma State Representative Jason W. Murphey (R-Guthrie) has introduced legislation intended to lower medical costs by providing incentive for insurers to write “Negative Outcomes” insurance policies. The...

Insurer Group to Target Windstorm Funding in Texas

Jan 4 2007 // Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) funding issues will be the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America’s (PCI) top legislative priority in its Southwestern region, the insurer group announced. The...

Kentucky: Ruling Expected Soon in Christian Health Care Case

Jan 3 2007 // Don’t try to tell Ken Walker that the health care program Medi-Share should be banned in Kentucky.Formerly of Louisville, the Huntington, W.Va.-based freelance writer enrolled in the for-Christians-only initiative...

Agents, Brokers Set 2007 Legislative Priorities

Jan 3 2007 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) will again confront a number of legislative issues important to agents and brokers at both the state and federal levels in 2007,...

Ohio’s New Attorney General Faces Workers’ Comp Court Decision

Jan 3 2007 // Ohio’s new attorney general made criticism of the scandal-ridden state insurance fund for injured workers a hallmark of his campaign.Taking office next month, Democrat Marc Dann must now decide whether to appeal a...

E. Coli Outbreaks Have Industry, Government Increasing Safety

Jan 3 2007 // In light of food poisoning outbreaks involving spinach and lettuce, the government and the produce industry are scrambling to make leafy greens safer before the spring planting season.New guidelines from the industry are...

Rule Restricting R.I. Crime Victim Compensation Challenged

Jan 2 2007 // An association of drug treatment programs is challenging a Rhode Island state policy that allows financial compensation to be denied to crime victims who have been convicted of driving drunk or dealing drugs.The Drug and...

Government, Industry Push to Protect Food Chain

Jan 2 2007 // In light of food poisoning outbreaks involving spinach and lettuce, the government and the produce industry are scrambling to make leafy greens safer before the spring planting season.New guidelines from the industry are...

New Year Brings Higher Insurance Rates, Minimums for S.C. Drivers

Jan 2 2007 // The new year will force about a third of South Carolina’s drivers to dig deeper into their wallets to pay for auto insurance.A little-debated change in state law requires drivers to buy minimum liability coverage of...

Despite 2004 Ruling, Mexican Truck Travel Still Limited

Jan 2 2007 // Mexican trucker Brigido Moctezuma lives in a city just south of Mexico’s border with Texas, far from talks on whether he’ll be able to drive his loads of vehicle air bags all the way to assembly lines in...

Oregon Promotes Best Practices with IMSA Membership

Dec 29 2006 // The Oregon Insurance Division is recognizing the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association as a group that can help to establish “best practices” and promote consumer protection in the state. In a recent...

Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Pit Bulls from N.Y. City

Dec 29 2006 // Regarded as dangerous pets by their detractors but loved for their assertive nature by their owners, pit bulls may find themselves banned from New York City.City Councilman Peter Vallone Junior said that he wants to ban...

States Keep Looking for Ways to Expand Health Care Access

Dec 29 2006 // The national spotlight shone on Maine’s universal health care access program when it was launched two years ago. Policymakers nationwide watched to see if Dirigo Health would deliver on its promise to provide health...

New Ill. Law Effective Jan. 1 Will Help Prevent Identity Theft, Official Says

Dec 28 2006 // Beginning Monday, Jan. 1, Illinois consumers will have access to a new tool to stop identity thieves from opening new credit in their names.The new law will allow all Illinois residents to place a “security...

Ex-Md. Lawmaker Facing Charges Steps Down from Workers’ Comp Fund

Dec 28 2006 // Former Maryland state Sen. Thomas Bromwell has agreed to step down at the end of the year as head of the Injured Workers’ Insurance Fund under a separation agreement announced by the organization’s board of...