lawmakers News

Florida CFO Calls for Ban on Assignments of Benefits, Limits on Public Adjusters

In the wake of Hurricane Ian, Florida’s chief financial officer has taken a hard line on insurance claims litigation, calling for an outright ban on assignments-of-benefits agreements. At a press conference in Cape Coral, a city hit hard by the …

After Plane Crash, Utah Passes Law Requiring Pilot Insurance

ROY, Utah (AP) — The lawsuit from a 2017 crash of an airplane on 1900 West in Roy lingers on, more than three years after it was filed. The pilot, apparently, was not insured, leaving Samantha Sandoval — hit in …

Texas Lawmakers Look to Lay Blame for Deadly Power Blackout

Texas state lawmakers on Thursday dug into the causes and cast blame for deadly power blackouts that left millions shivering in the dark as frigid temperatures caught its grid operator and utilities ill-prepared for skyrocketing power demand. Dual hearings in …

Florida Consumers ‘Flabbergasted’ as Property Insurers Push for Double-Digit Rate Hikes

Florida property insurers are jacking up rates by double-digit percentages, blaming the hikes on lingering damage from past hurricanes, a wave of litigation, and a law that encourages lawyers to sue by allowing courts to award them big fees. The …

Lands Chief Again Proposes Dedicated Funds to Fight Wildfire

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — After yet another year of catastrophic wildfires in Washington state, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz is once again proposing that the state create a dedicated fund to prevent and fight the fires. A similar attempt …

Faced With 20,000 Dead, Nursing Homes Seek Shield From Lawsuits

NEW YORK — Faced with 20,000 coronavirus deaths and counting, the nation’s nursing homes are pushing back against a potential flood of lawsuits with a sweeping lobbying effort to get states to grant them emergency protection from claims of inadequate …

British Insurers to Pay $1.5 Billion in Virus Claims, ABI Says

British insurers are on the hook for more than 1.2 billion pounds ($1.5 billion) in claims from businesses and individuals hit by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the industry’s trade body. Initial estimates put payments for business interruption at 900 …

Telemedicine Surges in Michigan as Doctors Close Offices

DETROIT — The closure of doctors’ offices across Michigan during the new coronavirus pandemic has spurred a statewide surge in the embrace of telemedicine, a practice that allows doctors to treat patients remotely by phone or computer, officials said. Hospitals …

Auto Insurers Return Money to Customers During ‘Unprecedented’ Driving Slump

Auto insurers Allstate Corp. and American Family Insurance are returning some money to customers as widespread shutdowns across the U.S. from the coronavirus cut down on driving. Allstate expects to give back more than $600 million, with personal auto customers …

Lawmakers, Governor Announce Deal on Limo Safety Regulations

ALBANY, N.Y. — Political leaders in New York have reached an agreement to pass new limousine safety bills inspired by deadly crashes in 2015 and 2018, officials said Tuesday. The proposals target unsafe limos and lax regulations, said Senate Majority …