Holiday High Jinks
The holiday season is a great time to eat, drink and be merry. But the last thing anyone wants is a visit from the Grinch. And an unfortunate side-effect of too much holiday reveling are accidents that can injure individuals …
IIAT SURVEY SHOWS IMPROVEMENTS
Independent insurance agents in Texas report improved homeowners insurance coverage and lower premium prices for both homeowners and auto insurance as the year comes to an end. A survey of more than 1,800 member agencies by the Independent Insurance Agents …
SENATE BILLS
SB-1: Provides for registration of sex offenders in emergency housing, enhances penalties for failure to register, and requires re-registration under certain circumstances; SB-10: Provides for unemployment compensation benefits; and SB-44: Establishes a state uniform construction code.
HOUSE BILLS
HB-4: Authorizes any clerk of court to establish an ancillary office during a state of emergency; HB-6: Extends time limit for certain investment deadlines under the CAPCO program due to the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; HB-7: Provides relative …
GOV. URGED TO VETO FLOODED VEHICLES BILL
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of Amer-ica called upon Louisiana Gov. Kath-leen Blanco to veto a bill that would require all vehicles that are declared “total” losses as a result of recent flooding to be crushed. In a letter to …
People & Places
Clarissa A. Preston Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Robert Wooley announced that Clarissa A. Preston has been named deputy commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Insurance Office of Property and Casualty, and Scott Kipper is now deputy commissioner of the Office of …
States Urged to Prepare for Catastrophes by Enforcing Smarter Land Use
The country needs to consider where and how it builds if it is to avoid the worst effects of another Hurricane Katrina or Sept. 11 attack, according to experts at the recent National Conference of Insurance Legislators annual meeting in …
Insurance Commissioners Push Framework for National Cat Program
Insurance regulators, on the heels of the National Catastrophe Insurance Summit in Burlingame, Calif., in November, are peddling the framework for a national catastrophe insurance program they say would protect U.S. taxpayers. The details have not been ironed out, but …
Health Care Networks: A New Approach for Workers’ Compensation in Texas
House Bill 7 enacted sweeping workers’ compensation reforms. One of those reforms was the establishment of health care provider networks. After receiving much thoughtful input from system participants, I am proud to announce that we have now adopted the first …
Meeting Today’s Challenges and Preparing for Tomorrow’s
Several pressing public policy issues remain to be debated in the Gulf region and across the country. At the forefront is the question of how we, as a nation, will finance losses from future mega-catastrophes. Weather forecasters predicted that the …
