Latest Legislation Headlines

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

DRUNK DRIVING LEGISLATION

Apr 4 2005 // Legislation that would require repeat drunken drivers to have alcohol detection devices installed in their vehicles before they could regain their driver’s licenses cleared the Oklahoma House and awaits action in the...

FIGHT OVER CREDIT BAN MOVES TO COLO. SENATE:

Apr 4 2005 // Legislation that would prohibit insurers’ use of credit information narrowly advanced out of the Colorado Senate State Affairs Committee on a 4-3 vote and will be opposed by the insurance industry on the Senate...

What Should be Industry Response to Ethical Lapses?

Apr 4 2005 // CPCU Society Looking at IMSAThe property casualty 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...

IBA West President Discusses Broker Disclosure, Work Comp Issues

Apr 4 2005 // Mark Wells, publisher of Insurance Journal, recently spoke to Stan Simpson, the newly elected president of the Insurance Agents and Brokers of the West and a principal at Buckman-Mitchell Inc., an independent agency in...

Court Upholds Industry Lawsuit: CDI’s Homeowners Regulations Illegal

Apr 4 2005 // Charges by the California Department of Insurance that the California homeowners insurance industry arbitrarily nonrenews or raises rates on homeowners who file one claim or make an inquiry about their coverage is little...

Insurance Group Staying out of California Workers’ Comp Confirmation Fight

Apr 4 2005 // A major insurance industry group is staying out of the Senate confirmation fight over Gov. Schwarzenegger’s workers’ comp director, another possible indication the appointment could be in trouble.The...

Some 200 Insurance-Related Bills Introduced in California Legislature

Apr 4 2005 // About 200 insurance-related bills have been introduced in the California Legislature this session, according to The Association of California Insurance Companies.“We expect during the upcoming months that the issues...

Homeowners Want ‘Uncovered Perils’ Clarified; Fla. Legislators Won’t Budge

Apr 1 2005 // Homeowners with outstanding claims for hurricane damage and their attorneys, insurance company lobbyists and Florida’s House Insurance Committee members all disagree about if an insurance company is liable if a...

Alliance Opposes Legislation Resurrecting CDI Proposed Agent-Broker Fiduciary Regulations

Apr 1 2005 // Reacting to recent amendments made to SB 938 (Dunn) at the behest of Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, the American Agents Alliance has announced that its fight over imposition of unfair regulations for which...

W. Va. Judge to Decide: Should E-Mails Discussing Premium Rollbacks Be Made Public?

Apr 1 2005 // West Virginia Circuit Court Judge Paul Zakaib is expected to decide Friday whether or not to make public the contents of emails detailing negotiations between the West Virginia Insurance Commission, an aide to Governor Joe...

Texas House Passes Workers’ Comp Reform Bill

Apr 1 2005 // The Texas House of Representatives passed legislation, House Bill 7, designed to overhaul the workers’ compensation system by creating medical networks to help rein in the skyrocketing costs and get injured workers...

NAMIC Congratulates Georgia Lawmakers For Enacting Major Tort Initiatives

Apr 1 2005 // The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies has congratulated Georgia lawmakers for enacting major tort initiatives during their just-concluded 39-day legislative session, David Reddick, NAMIC state affairs...

N.Y. Court Upholds No-Fault Regulation Letting Insurers Deny Payments to Fraudulent Medical Firms

Apr 1 2005 // The New York Court of Appeals has upheld the right of an insurance company to refuse to reimburse fraudulently incorporated medical providers for no-fault auto insurance claims even when the medical care provided is...

N.H. Weighs Single Judge Med-Mal Screening

Mar 31 2005 // New Hampshire state senators seem more interested in a House plan to address the cost of medical malpractice insurance than a bill from one of their own.The proposal before the Senate Judiciary Committee is based on a...

Calif. Commissioner Announces Legislation Requiring Insurers to Invest in Underserved Communities

Mar 31 2005 // California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and Assembly member Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) introduced AB 925, a new piece of legislation that would require insurers to make investments in low- and...

S.B. 418 Passed W.Va. Senate, Hits Roadblock in House

Mar 31 2005 // With 10 days left in West Virginia’s legislative sessions, although the Senate adopted Gov. Joe Manchin’s insurance proposals, SB 418 has stalled in the House.The bill would bar third party bad faith lawsuits...

R.I. Gov. Carcieri Submits Road Safety Package

Mar 31 2005 // Governor Donald L. Carcieri has submitted a package of legislative proposals that seeks to make Rhode Island’s roadways safer by targeting drunk drivers, aggressive drivers, and drivers who do not wear their safety...

Fla. Bills Propose Standardize Policies, Rating Territories; Might Lower CAT Cap

Mar 28 2005 // Standard insurance policies, standard rating territories and lowering the cap from $4.5 million to $4 million on the amount of insured losses that a company has to sustain before drawing money from the Catastrophe Fund are...

Drunk Driving Legislation Advances in Okla.

Mar 28 2005 // Legislation that would require repeat drunken drivers to have alcohol detection devices installed in their vehicles before they could regain their driver’s licenses has cleared the House and now awaits action in the...

WCIRB Proposes 10.4 Percent Decrease in Pure Premium Rates

Mar 28 2005 // On March 25, 2005, the WCIRB submitted a filing to the California Insurance Commissioner recommending a 10.4 percent decrease in advisory pure premium rates effective July 1, 2005 on new and renewal policies. The proposed...