Latest Washington Headlines

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

Wash. LnI cracks down on unregistered residential wood framers

Apr 24 2002 // The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has stepped up its efforts to sign up residential wood framers in the Washington workers’ compensation program, appealing to homebuilders and general contractors to...

Wash. couple charged with fraud

Apr 15 2002 // A Washington couple faces an excess of criminal charges, including the alleged falsification of payroll records to avoid paying workers’ compensation premiums, among others.Clark County prosecutors have filed charges...

Wash. Gov. Signs Credit-Based Scoring Bill and Construction Defect Legislation

Apr 8 2002 // Gov. Gary Locke has signed House Bill 2544 restricting insurers’ use of credit-based insurance scores. Earlier in the week, he signed Senate Bill 6409, providing an opportunity for corrective action to be taken...

Wash. Man Ordered to Repay $114,000

Apr 5 2002 // A Washington man has been ordered to repay the state $114,000 for benefits and penalties after he allegedly collected disability payments while being employed at various jobs in Central Washington. A laborer and farm...

AAI Urges Wash. Gov. to Sign Construction

Mar 26 2002 // The Alliance of American Insurers is urging Washington Gov. Gary Locke (D) to sign SB 6409, which the organization believes will help reduce the rising costs of litigation faced by the state’s construction...

Wash. Couple Charged with Denying Workers’ Comp Payments

Mar 22 2002 // A Washington couple faces an excess of criminal charges, including the alleged falsification of payroll records to avoid paying workers’ compensation premiums, among others.Charges have been filed by Clark County...

Wash. Legislature Approves Bill That May Raise Mandatory Arbitration Settlements

Mar 13 2002 // The Washington State legislature has approved a bill that could lead to higher settlements in mandatory arbitration cases.The House passed Senate Bill 5373 last week, one week before the 2002 session is to adjourn, and...

PEMCO Insurance Ad Campaign Largest Undertaken by Wash. State Insurer

Mar 8 2002 // PEMCO Insurance has launched its largest advertising campaign to date this week in a series that focuses on the merits and challenges of personal responsibility. The campaign includes television commercials, print ads,...

Wash. Bill Restricting Credit-Based Scores Awaits Gov.’s Signature

Mar 7 2002 // The state Senate has passed legislation restricting insurers’ use of credit-based insurance scores in Washington. House Bill 2544 passed the Senate March 4 by a 36 to 11 vote and now goes to Gov. Gary Locke, a...

Wash. House And Senate Approve Bills Restricting Insurer Use of Credit Scores

Feb 21 2002 // Two measures approved over the weekend by the Washington State House and Senate restricting insurers’ use of credit scores could result in higher rates for the majority of policyholders, the American Insurance...

Wash. Files Amicus Brief in Support of Calif. Holocaust Victims Relief Act

Feb 20 2002 // In a show of solidarity with the California Department of Insurance, the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner has filed an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of...

Wash. Committees Approve Bill Restricting Use of Credit-Based Scores

Feb 11 2002 // Washington State Senate and House committees have approved bills restricting insurers’ use of credit-based insurance scores. If enacted, the law would result in increases in auto and homeowners premiums for many...

Washington Man Ordered to Repay $59,600 in Benefits and Penalties

Feb 1 2002 // The Washington Department of Labor and Industries has ordered a 54-year-old Vashon man to repay workers’ compensation benefits he allegedly fraudulently collected by claiming he was injured and unable to...

Wash. State Program Aims to Reduce Teen Injuries

Jan 30 2002 // The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) and the Washington Restaurant Association (WRA) have launched a joint program to reduce injuries to teen workers in fast-food restaurants throughout the state.It began in...

Wash. Court Reverses Ruling Regarding Drinks Sold to Intoxicated Customers

Jan 29 2002 // In reversing a lower court ruling, the Washington State Court of Appeals has agreed that liability insurance is not designed to cover each drink served to an already intoxicated customer as a separate incident.The...

Former Washington Resident Owes State $209,000

Jan 25 2002 // Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) ordered a former Yakima resident to pay back more than $209,000 for allegedly collecting workers’ compensation benefits illegally.Jesus Nunez Vargas, a...

Bills Restricting Use of Credit-Based Insurance Scores Introduced in Wash.

Jan 24 2002 // According to the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII), companion bills severely restricting insurers’use of credit-based insurance scores have been introduced in the Washington State House and Senate....

Washington State Orders Wisconsin Woman To Pay $52,182

Jan 17 2002 // The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries has ordered a 43-year-old Wisconsin woman to repay the state $52,182 after an investigation showed she continued to collect workers’ compensation widow’s...

Washington State Worksites Continued Safety Trend in 2000

Jan 11 2002 // Continuing a trend begun almost 10 years ago, Washington workers suffered slightly fewer injuries and illnesses in 2000 than they did the previous year, according to survey results released by the Washington Department of...

Calif. Won’t Adopt Terror Exclusions

Jan 8 2002 // According to a Jan. 7 Los Angeles Times article, California has refused to allow insurers to adopt terrorism exclusion language, a move which has already been by approximately 20 other states in the wake of Sept. 11.The...