Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Maryland Gov. Ehrlich’s Med-Mal Proposal Unveiled; Special Legislative Session Gets Underway Today

Dec 28 2004 // Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., on Dec. 22 provided Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch a copy of the medical malpractice legislation that will be introduced during special...

Okla. Prosecutors to Appeal Judge’s Dismissal of Embezzlement Count Against Fisher

Dec 28 2004 // Oklahoma state prosecutors plan to appeal a judge’s recent decision to dismiss an embezzlement count against former state Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher, according to the Associated Press.“I’m not...

Dewhurst, Jackson Lay Out Plan for Insurer Penalties

Dec 23 2004 // Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst once again called on State Farm to reduce homeowner’s insurance rates recently as he laid out the second part of the Texas Legislature’s insurance reform effort, the Associated...

HRH Releases D&O Snapshot and Forecast for 2005

Dec 23 2004 // Hilb Rogal & Hobbs has released its Directors and Officers Liability Snapshot and Insurance Market Forecast for 2005.Legislation, regulatory activity, litigation and corporate governance requirements continue to...

Mass. Gov. Romney Nixes LTC Tax Break

Dec 23 2004 // Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is blocking a bill that Democratic lawmakers hoped would expand access to insurance for long term care, saying the state can’t afford a tax cut that would cause a $10 million annual...

Proposed Calif. Producer Compensation Regulation Confusing, Unnecessary Says ACIC

Dec 22 2004 // The Association of California Insurance Companies (ACIC) strongly criticized a proposed California Department of Insurance regulation on insurance agent and broker practices because the measure is overly broad, poorly...

Insurers Claim Regulators’ Open Meetings Policy Ignored

Dec 22 2004 // “Any NAIC deliberation or decision that has legal or persuasive effect on insurance law and regulation is the public’s business and must be conducted in a public setting,” stated a National Association of...

Wis. Appeals Court: Judge Erred in General Casualty Auto Liability Limits Ruling

Dec 22 2004 // WAUSAU, Wis.—A Brown County judge erred in ruling that a car insurance policy must provide $1 million in coverage following a deadly crash involving a 16-year-old driver, a state appeals court ruled recently.The policy...

New Calif. Legislation Becomes Law on Jan. 1

Dec 21 2004 // A number of new insurance-related bills will go into law in California on Jan. 1, 2005. They include:Auto Insurance AB 2677 (Ridley-Thomas – Auto Insurance: Cost Estimates) requires insurers to provide personal auto...

Negligent Criminal Acts Excluded from Yacht Policy, Court Rules in Case of N.H. Boating Death

Dec 21 2004 // A New Hampshire boater sued for wrongful death by the wife of a victim in an accident he caused was not covered under his yacht policy, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has ruled.The insured, Daniel...

Medicare Looms as Budget Remains a Logistical Issue for States

Dec 20 2004 // A Medicare prescription drug benefit for senior citizens through private plans is still more than a year away. But for state lawmakers and health officials preparing to help administer the complex new law, crunch time is...

Connect the Dots in 2005 and They Spell Government

Dec 20 2004 // Center stage will belong to government in 2005. While it lacks the sizzle of themes from prior years–consolidation, convergence, digitization and hard market–it will have a more immediate and profound...

Ohio’s Gov. Taft Pushes Hard to Get Comprehensive Tort Reform

Dec 20 2004 // Insurers and business interests appear to have won another victory in Ohio, as Gov. Robert Taft will soon sign a broad tort reform bill that caps jury awards and limits products and obesity liability. This follows on the...

ILL. JUDGE RULES COMP FEE HIKE IMPROPER:

Dec 20 2004 // An Illinois Cook County circuit judge has ruled that a state increase in fees paid by employers into the state’s workers compensation fund was improper because it was used to help plug a gaping hole in the general...

Connect the Dots in 2005 and it Spells Government

Dec 20 2004 // Center stage will belong to Government in 2005. While it lacks the sizzle of themes from prior years–consolidation, convergence, digitization and hard market–it will have a more immediate and profound...

CONN. AG URGES STATE CODES:

Dec 20 2004 // Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal repeated his call for state insurance regulators to establish a code of professional responsibility for agents and brokers in a letter to the National Association of...

Spitzer Investigation Dishes Out Winners, Losers in Financial Services Industry

Dec 20 2004 // The insurance industry continues to make the news even a month and a half after Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed his lawsuit against Marsh and McLennan for bid rigging and receiving contingent commissions. Contingent...

Connect the Dots in 2005 and it Spells Government

Dec 20 2004 // Center stage will belong to Government in 2005. While it lacks the sizzle of themes from prior years–consolidation, convergence, digitization and hard market–it will have a more immediate and profound...

Judge Acquits Segal on 7 Charges, 19 Others Upheld

Dec 20 2004 // U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo acquitted former Near North Insurance Brokerage CEO Michael Segal on seven of the 26 federal counts he was convicted of earlier this year, but he upheld the others. Segal and...

Looking Back on ’04: The Most Talked-About Stories in the Western Region

Dec 20 2004 // The year 2004 saw a little bit of everything across the Western Region. Workers’ comp, homeowners, med-mal, and even insurance fraud topped the list of the most talked about stories. We compiled these recaps based on...