Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Minnesota AG Asks Judge to Make Willis Hand Over Documents; Broker ‘Surprised’ by Move

Mar 8 2005 // Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch filed a 400-page motion in state court Monday asking a judge to force broker Willis Group to hand over documents related to his investigation of the firm’s contingent commission...

NCOIL Approves Revised Producer Compensation Disclosure Model Act

Mar 7 2005 // The approval of a revised producer compensation disclosure model act and a resolution calling on commissioners to oppose application of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) financial reporting requirements on non-publicly traded insurers...

LAWMAKERS BACK CIVIL UNIONS:

Mar 7 2005 // Connecticut moved closer to allowing civil unions for gay and lesbian couples over the protests of gay rights advocates who believe the state should instead legalize same-sex marriage. The Judiciary Committee voted 25-13...

LAWMAKER SEEKS MED-MAL RATE CONTROLS:

Mar 7 2005 // Rhode Island Rep. Fausto C. Anguilla (D-Dist. 68, Bristol, Warren) has introduced legislation aimed at reining in rising malpractice insurance premiums. His bill, the Fair Insurance Act of 2005, would prohibit insurers...

Auto Task Force, Industry PR Effort Herald Busy Summer Ahead in Mass.

Mar 7 2005 // A task force appointed by Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney last spring has concluded that the state’s private passenger auto insurance system is heading for a crash and has promised to produce a legislative reform...

Talk to and Support Your Legislators

Mar 7 2005 // I recently attended the Professional Insurance Agents of Florida’s “Legislative Day 2005” in Tallahassee, and March 17 I’ll attend the Alabama Independent Insurance Agent’s 18th Annual...

PIA OF GA. ISSUES LEGISLATION ‘WATCH LIST’

Mar 7 2005 // The Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia has issued a legislative watch list detailing which bills are of interest to the insurance industry. Civil justice reform and medical malpractice insurance continue to capture a...

22 S. Floridians Arrested in Fraud Ring

Mar 7 2005 // The arrests of 22 of 29 ring-members believed to be involved in a widespread racket, which bilked insurance companies for more than $1 million by staging at least a dozen auto crashes and making false claims to area...

PIA Legislative Day Topics: Medicaid Reform, Term Limits, Ethics, Citizens

Mar 7 2005 // Medicaid reform, changing term limits and ethics will be three major issues of concern to the Florida Legislature during upcoming meetings and through 2006, Ron Villella, Professional Insurance Agents of Florida lobbyist...

Nevada Medical Malpractice Rates Said to Be Stabilizing

Mar 7 2005 // Approval of a 2004 ballot question and action by state lawmakers two years before that are stabilizing medical malpractice insurance rates in Nevada, legislators were told recently.Question 3, the Keep Our Doctors in...

‘Cheeseburger’ Bills Fill State Lawmakers’ Plates

Mar 7 2005 // Nebraska state Sen. Jeanne Combs used to weigh more than 300 lbs., and she hopes that fact will carry some weight in her campaign to prohibit people from suing the fast-food industry for making them fat.Combs, who...

Contingency Commissions and the Future of California Agents & Brokers

Mar 7 2005 // How the Spitzer-led investigation against broker fees inspired solutions to California’s “problems”Over the past several months, there have been numerous explanations, press releases and position papers...

R.I. Judge Orders Nightclub Owners Pay Workers’ Comp Benefits to Families of Employees Killed in Fire

Mar 4 2005 // Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court Judge Bruce Q. Morin has ordered the owners of the West Warwick nightclub The Station to pay lost wages and funeral expenses to the families of four employees who were among...

Japan Using New Marine Insurance Law to Apply Pressure on North Korea

Mar 3 2005 // North Korean ships seeking to enter Japanese ports faced a new hurdle this week as a law took effect requiring large vessels visiting the country to have insurance against oil spills and other accidents.Japanese lawmakers...

Jardine Lloyd Thompson Secures Lloyds of London Ins Protection to Financial & Healthcare Sectors as Identity Theft Grows

Mar 3 2005 // London: JLT Risk Solutions Ltd and Jardine Lloyd Thompson LLC, part of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc (JLT.LN) said today insurance capacity has been secured within the Lloyd’s of London market to provide new...

Poe Financial Group Gets Regulatory Approval to ‘Depopulate’ More than 5,000 Citizens Policies

Mar 2 2005 // Poe Financial Group member company Atlantic Preferred Insurance Company has received regulatory approval to assume 5,258 property and casualty policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. under its depopulation...

N.Y. Bill Seeks Fiduciary Duty on Producers, Permits Profit Sharing with Disclosure

Mar 2 2005 // Assemblyman Ryan Scott Karben (D/I-Rockland), a majority member of the New York State Assembly’s Insurance Committee, has introduced a legislative package on agent and broker compensation that would require...

Texas Lawmaker Files Bill in Response to ChoicePoint Security Breach

Mar 2 2005 // The Texas House of Representatives reported that on the heels of the revelation of a major security breach at data broker ChoicePoint, State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, Austin, has introduced a measure to give Texas consumers...

Nonprofits’ Panel Urges Enhanced Oversight of Charities, Increased Transparency

Mar 2 2005 // The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, a Washington, D.C- comprised of nonprofit organizations across America, has proposed to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee a series of recommendations to open up the financial operations...

Utah Court Rules in Favor of Workers Comp Fund

Mar 2 2005 // On Feb. 2, 2005, Utah Third District Judge Leslie A. Lewis ruled in favor of Workers Compensation Fund, dismissing an action brought by the Utah State Auditor. In that action, the State Auditor asserted that WCF was a...