Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Court Ruling Requires Citizens Wind Policies to Pay for Flooding

May 26 2005 // Circuit Court Judge Kevin Davey has ruled in a class-action lawsuit in Tallahassee, Fla. that Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s insurer of last resort, must pay the full amount of damage homes were insured...

PIA Panelists Discuss Preparing for Hurricane Season

May 26 2005 // Florida’s insurance industry survived last year’s record-breaking hurricane season and is prepared to help homeowners weather what may come this year. That was the message during a recent web broadcast carried...

NAMIC: Statutory Remedies to Curb Fraud Abuse Spreading Across U.S.

May 25 2005 // To combat insurance fraud that costs consumers an average of $200-300 per year, 40 states have established entities responsible for oversight of related investigations and prosecution efforts, according to an analysis by...

With No Major Surprises, Iowa Legislature Ends on Positive Note

May 25 2005 // Pleased with no last minute surprises to insurers, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) has commended the Iowa Legislature and Gov. Thomas Vilsack for taking positive and progressive steps on this...

R&M Reports on FSA Regulation

May 24 2005 // Dublin-based Research and Markets announced the addition of “FSA Regulation — A Summary of Insurance Distribution” to their offering.”The report examines the distribution of general insurance...

AIA Testifies at N.Y. Security Breach Hearing; Steps Taken for Customers

May 24 2005 // Any new laws to prevent identity theft and mandate notification of data security breaches need to be uniform and consistent with procedures in other states, and flexible enough to allow compliance, said the American...

State Laws Vary on Driving Distractions

May 23 2005 // New Hampshire is the only state that doesn’t require adult motorists to wear seat belts, but it does ticket drivers for eating, drinking, talking on a cell phone or fussing with their makeup while behind the...

PIFC: California Commissioner’s Proposed Homeowner Regs Flawed

May 23 2005 // There is not one statute in the entire Insurance Code of California that authorizes the insurance commissioner to adopt a proposed set of homeowners’ insurance regulations submitted to the Office of Administrative...

Calif.’s AB 975 Hearing Postponed Indefinitely

May 23 2005 // AB 975, legislation that would clarify the definition of broker in the California Insurance Code, was not heard in the Assembly Insurance Committee May 4, according to the American Agents Alliance. The hearing on AB 975...

Tougher Laws Key in Fight Against Insurance Fraud

May 23 2005 // How do you convince overworked state prosecutors to chase down often stale-sounding insurance swindles when their case files already are bulging with high-profile crimes such as drugs, robbery and murder?Insurance-fraud...

Fla. CFO Issues Warning: ‘Prepare Now for Hurricanes’

May 23 2005 // After an unprecedented hurricane season last year and experts predicting the formation of more than 13 named Atlantic storms this season, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher is issuing a warning to...

WORKERS’ COMP GUARANTY FUND SAVED:

May 23 2005 // The New York Assembly and Senate have passed and Gov. George Pataki has signed into law industry-supported legislation that provides short-term rescue for the state’s workers compensation guaranty fund that had been...

Gov. Bush Pledges to Sign SB1486; Insurers Uneasy About Its Provisions

May 23 2005 // Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pledged during the May 11 opening of the annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference at the Tampa Convention Center to sign and approve Senate Bill 1486, controversial legislation that consumer...

FBI Targets Insurance in Probe of Carrier, Agent and PEO Practices

May 23 2005 // The insurance industry, already under scrutiny in some segments by state and federal authorities for various compensation, reinsurance, bid-rigging and accounting practices, now faces another questioner. The Federal Bureau...

USAA Asks for 10.3 Percent Increase; Other Requests Expected

May 23 2005 // Florida’s fifth-largest insurer USAA, filed a request in mid-May to raise premiums by a statewide average of 10.3 percent. David Foy, chief of staff for the Office of Insurance Regulation said he expects more...

Could Washington Be Listening to Small Business?

May 23 2005 // There probably are few American small business owners who could correctly identify the federal group whose primary job is to keep the president of the United States updated on the activities of government such as...

STATE FARM TO WRITE HOMEOWNERS, BUSINESS POLICIES

May 23 2005 // As of May 1, State Farm Insur-ance began accepting applications from West Virginia homeowners and businesses for new insurance policies. The company is the largest property and casualty insurer in West Virginia and in the...

Life Settlements — Understanding the Risks and the Benefits

May 23 2005 // What is a life settlement? Simply put, a life settlement is the sale of an unwanted, no longer effective life insurance policy. It may potentially be a better solution with a greater cash settlement than lapsing or...

Illinois Medical Malpractice Reforms Stalled Again

May 23 2005 // SPRINGFIELD, Ill.–A House committee voted 12-2 last month for proposal backed by doctors and Republicans to cap noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering that malpractice victims can win in court, only to see it...

CPCU Society Looking at IMSA-Type Body

May 23 2005 // The property/casualty insurance industry’s leading educational society is weighing what role to play in helping the industry restore its image after months of charges about bid-rigging and contingent commissions.A...