Latest Montana Headlines
All the headlines from our Montana Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Montana Lawmakers Add Tax to Workers’ Comp Bill
May 5 2011 // On the last day of the Montana legislative session, lawmakers added a 2.75 percent premium tax on insurance sold by the Montana State Fund to pay for continuing claims for workers injured before July 1990. The new fee...
Montana Reducing Workers’ Comp Costs 22.4%
May 4 2011 // Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Monica Lindeen has approved a 22.4 percent reduction in workers’ compensation insurance loss costs, which will translate to lower premiums for employers. The lower...
Montana Governor Signs Workers’ Comp Compromise
Apr 14 2011 // Gov. Brian Schweitzer has signed the compromise plan he worked out with Republican leaders to reduce workers’ compensation insurance rates universally regarded as among the most expensive in the country. The bill...
Survey Finds Structurally Deficient Montana Bridges
Apr 5 2011 // A new survey finds one of every 13 highway bridges in Montana is structurally deficient, and that an average of 80,000 motorists a day cross what the report ranks as the top three busiest bridges in the state that are in...
Montana Workers’ Comp Claims Decrease 5%
Apr 1 2011 // Montana workers’ compensation claims have decreased by more than 5 percent in the past year, state Insurance Commissioner Monica J. Lindeen announced. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) recently...
Mont. Work Comp Compromise Moves Forward
Mar 31 2011 // The Montana House is giving its blessing to a deal between Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Democrats to cut workers’ compensation insurance rates universally seen as among the most expensive in the country. The path for...
Montana Senate Passes Workers’ Comp Reform Bill
Mar 29 2011 // The Montana Senate has passed a workers’ compensation reform bill that supporters claim will bring nearly $100 million in savings its first year. The Senate passed HB 334 by a 45-5 vote in its third reading on March...
S&P Puts Montana Re Cat Bonds on CreditWatch Negative after Japan Quake
Mar 28 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its ‘B- (sf)’ rating on Montana Re Ltd.’s Class E notes on CreditWatch with negative implications. The notes, totaling $210 million, were originally...
Montana Bill to Deny Workers’ Comp to Illegal Aliens Stalls in Senate Committee
Mar 28 2011 // A bill that would deny workers’ compensation to illegal immigrants who have jobs in Montana was tabled by a Senate committee after several insurers and businesses warned it would do more harm than good to...
Montana Gov. Amendments Added to Workers’ Comp Bill
Mar 25 2011 // A Montana state Senate committee got a look at the newest version of what is being labeled a “historic” workers’ compensation reform bill that was crafted by Republicans and now includes amendments from...
Mont. Governor Endorses Workers’ Comp Compromise
Mar 25 2011 // Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s administration said Wednesday that it is supporting a deal with Republicans to cut workers’ compensation insurance rates that are widely regarded as too expensive, paving the way for a...
Montana Governor Makes Appointments to State Fund Board
Mar 11 2011 // Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer has made three appointments to the State Compensation Insurance Fund Board. Elizabeth Best of Great Falls was named chairwoman. She is an attorney in private practice. She has served as a...
Montana Proposal Asks for Lawsuit Protection for Referees
Mar 10 2011 // A proposal before Montana House lawmakers says referees need better lawsuit protection when officiating athletic events in the state. Senate Bill 4 recently heard in the House Judiciary Committee would raise the bar for...
Montana Proposes Stricter Penalties for Uninsured Motorists
Feb 22 2011 // Montana regulators have proposed increasing fines for motorists who are repeatedly caught not carrying automobile liability insurance. The uninsured motorists bill, HB 243, would increase fines on second conviction to...
Montana Vows to Reform Workers’ Compensation Insurance
Feb 21 2011 // Legislators in Montana are making workers’ compensation reform a priority in 2011, having introduced three bills aimed at lowering rates: House Bill 87 would cap the amount that doctors and those in the health care...
Montana House Committee Endorses Workers’ Comp Reform Bill
Feb 10 2011 // The Montana House Business and Labor Committee has endorsed a bill to reform the state’s workers’ compensation system. Among other things, HB 334 workers’ comp reform bill aims to provide for the closure...
Montana Bill Would Send Workers’ Comp Out for Bid
Feb 3 2011 // A Montana senator believes the state might save money if part of the workers’ compensation program were administered by a private insurance company. Sen. Jim Keane urged members of the Senate Business, Labor, and...
Montana Businesses Forming Captives to Reap Economic Benefits
Feb 2 2011 // Montana licensed a record 26 captive insurance companies in 2010, boosting the number of captives at year-end to 67, also a record, the state Department of Insurance announced. The 26 captives licensed last year compares...
Liberty Northwest Develops Safety Program for Montana Employers
Jan 28 2011 // Liberty Northwest, a Liberty Mutual Agency Corp. regional company, has announced an overall retro rating adjustment of nearly 28 percent in workers’ compensation insurance premium adjustments and premium surcharge...
Montana Workers’ Comp Reform Bill on Hold
Jan 25 2011 // A Montana workers’ compensation reform bill was put on hold Jan. 21, 2010, after its sponsor told a state House committee it would have to be heavily amended and suggested going with a “clean” version of...
