Latest Legislation Headlines

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

NAMIC Supports W. Va. Civil Justice Legislation

Feb 16 2005 // A plan by West Virginia Gov. Joseph Manchin to introduce legislation as early as next week to help reform the state’s civil justice system and address certain insurance-related issues is long overdue, an official of...

Legislation Calling for Stronger Oversight of Nursing Homes Filed in Oklahoma

Feb 15 2005 // Seeking to put an end to accounts of neglect, abuse and mismanagement at many of Oklahoma’s nursing homes, State Rep. Lee Denney filed legislation that would revamp the board responsible for overseeing the...

PIA Legislative Day: Major Issues Discussed, Legislators Urge Agents ‘Become More Active’

Feb 15 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 according to Ron Villela, Professional Insurance Agents of Florida...

Scottish Re Closes $850 Million Securitization

Feb 14 2005 // International life reinsurer Scottish Re Group Limited announced that it has closed an offering of $850 million of 30-year maturity securities from its newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary Orkney Holdings, LLC.The...

W. Va. Gov. Forms Working Groups to Discuss Insurance, Tort Reforms

Feb 14 2005 // West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin has formed several formal working groups to discuss insurance reforms and frivolous lawsuits. The groups are comprised mainly of lobbyists and lawmakers.During his State-of-the-State address...

R.I. Lawmaker Seeks Med-Mal Rate Controls

Feb 14 2005 // Rhode Island Rep. Fausto C. Anguilla (D-Dist. 68, Bristol, Warren) has introduced legislation aimed at reining in high and rising malpractice insurance premiums. His bill, the Fair Insurance Act of 2005, would prohibit...

Nevada Med-Mal Rates Stabilizing

Feb 14 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...

Insurance Industry, Republicans See Big Win in Senate Bipartisan Approval of Class Action Reform

Feb 11 2005 // The U.S. Senate rejected what could have been damaging amendments and approved by a vote of 72-26 historic changes to the way class action lawsuits are handled.The vote almost assures enactment since the Senate measure,...

Solomons’ Bill Calls for Overhaul of Texas’ Comp System

Feb 11 2005 // State Rep. Burt Solomons (Carrollton) recently filed a bill that would make major changes to the workers’ compensation system in Texas. According to an announcement released by the House of Representatives, House...

Mo. Senators Square-Off on Workers’ Comp Bill

Feb 11 2005 // Senators began debate Wednesday on a Republican-favored bill that would limit the number of workers’ eligible for compensation in an effort to bring down high insurance premiums for Missouri businesses.The state...

Ga. House to Debate, Vote Today on Tort Reform Bill

Feb 10 2005 // Georgia tort reform will be one step closer to reality today after a vote in the House Rules Committee which will send Senate Bill 3 to the House floor for debate and a vote.The committee approved four amendments to the...

Texas AG Supports Federal Legislation to Ban Bankruptcy Forum Shopping

Feb 10 2005 // Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced his support of legislation filed by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, that would stop corporations like Enron from exploiting a loophole by filing bankruptcy in federal courts far...

Okla. Lawmaker Seeks to Create Graduated Driver’s License for Teens

Feb 10 2005 // Tired of seeing underage drivers killed as a result of joyriding with their friends, Oklahoma State Rep. Danny Morgan announced legislation to create a new graduated driver’s license for teenagers. Morgan said he...

Lawmakers Tell Brokers Class Action Will Pass But TRIA Renewal Far from Certain

Feb 10 2005 // A parade of Republican lawmakers in Washington told insurance brokers some but not all of what they wanted to hear today, promising that class action reform will soon pass and, they hope, create momentum for Congress to...

Alliance: Patient Care Affected as Battle with Medical Liability Reform Continues

Feb 10 2005 // The Alliance of Specialty Medicine testified Thursday about the devastating effects the medical liability crisis is having on patient access to specialty healthcare and urged the Congress to pass medical liability reform...

PCIA Tells NAIC: SOX Compliance Could Cost Non-Public Insurers $1 B Annually

Feb 9 2005 // A spokesman for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America told a National Association of Insurance Commissioners panel today in Orlando that a proposal to apply new requirements based on the Sarbanes-Oxley law...

PIA to Hold National Legislative Summit, April 7

Feb 9 2005 // The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA National) will hold its annual Federal Legislative Summit on April 7, 2005 in Washington, D.C.The summit is a one-day legislative gathering of PIA members who...

Tillinghast Study: Insurers Welcome ERM Globally, but it Remains a Work in Progress

Feb 8 2005 // Insurers around the globe are making progress – quickly in some areas – with using an integrated risk and capital management approach to drive business decisions, according to the third biennial survey of risk...

Insurers Oppose Sarbanes-Oxley ‘404’ Proposal

Feb 8 2005 // A National Association of Insurance Commissioners panel this week will begin to discuss whether costly new audit measures based on the federal Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) law should be imposed on non-public insurers despite...

Some California Doctors Leaving Workers’ Comp System

Feb 8 2005 // Francis Pecoraro is trading a San Francisco Bay area medical practice that mainly serves injured workers for one in Wilmington, N.C., that he believes will be friendlier to doctors and doctors’ families.Pecoraro, who...