Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Coastal Texans Concerned About Rising Sea Levels Amid Hurricane Threats
May 31 2017 // Lalo Ojeda has lived with hurricanes all his life. The Houston Chronicle reports he was 14 when Hurricane Carla inundated Galveston Island in 1961. He evacuated as Hurricane Rita barreled toward the coast in 2005, then...
Texas Bill Affirming Workers’ Comp Division Fraud Unit Advances
May 26 2017 // The Texas Senate has passed legislation that affirms the authority of Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation fraud unit to conduct criminal investigations. The Senate passed HB 2053 on May 24; it was previously...
Tribune: Governor Appears Undecided on Signing Texas Texting-While-Driving Ban
May 26 2017 // Note: This article originally appeared in the Texas Tribune. Gov. Greg Abbott appears to be undecided on whether he will sign a proposed statewide ban on texting while driving that is now on his desk. Abbott’s...
Texas ‘Industrial Insureds’ Surplus Lines Bill Signed into Law
May 25 2017 // On May 11, the Texas Senate passed a bill exempting certain policyholders from the requirement that agents to make a “diligent effort” to find insurance in the admitted commercial insurance market. Gov. Greg...
Storm Triggered Sensor Halts Texas Roller Coaster, Strands Riders
May 23 2017 // Six Flags Over Texas says stormy weather including high winds triggered a safety sensor that halted a new roller coaster and left eight riders stranded for hours in its Arlington, Texas, theme park. The 120-foot-tall...
Texas Workers’ Comp Research Group Lays Out 2017 Agenda
May 23 2017 // The Texas Workers’ Compensation Research and Evaluation Group has released its 2017 research agenda, a blueprint for its efforts to provide critical data for decision-makers in the Texas workers’ compensation...
Texas Senate Passes Texting While Driving Ban
May 22 2017 // The Texas Senate on May 19 passed a measure banning texting while driving statewide. HB 62 by Midland Rep. Tom Craddick previously was approved by the House. While more than 100 cities in the state have texting and driving...
In Defeat for Patent Trolls, Supreme Court Limits Venue for Lawsuits
May 22 2017 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday tightened rules for where patent lawsuits can be filed in a decision that may make it harder for so-called patent “trolls” to launch sometimes dodgy patent cases in friendly...
Texas Christian Camp to Settle Federal Discrimination Suit for $70K
May 19 2017 // Carolina Creek Christian Camp Inc., a Huntsville, Texas-area business offering summer camping and retreats, will pay $70,000 and furnish other relief to settle a pregnancy and disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the...
Residents Assess Damage After Night of Tornadoes in Central U.S.
May 18 2017 // Residents of an Oklahoma subdivision and a Wisconsin trailer park that were leveled by deadly tornadoes sifted through what remained of their homes and possessions Wednesday, even as forecasters warned of another round of...
Bill Setting Statewide Rules for Ridesharing Companies Passes Texas Senate
May 18 2017 // A bill that would preempt local regulations for ridesharing companies in Texas and replace them statewide standards has passed the Texas Senate. It now heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. HB 100,...
Injured Worker Attorney Involvement Varies Widely by State
May 18 2017 // There is a wide variation in the percentage of claims with worker attorneys involvement across state workers’ compensation systems, according to the latest research from the Workers Compensation Research Institute...
Texas ‘Hailstorm’ Litigation Bill Headed to Governor’s Desk
May 17 2017 // Legislation backed by the insurance industry and some Texas business groups that curtails the ability of policyholders to sue insurance companies over property claims following extreme weather events has passed the state...
Texas Wholesale Insurance Broker LevelFirst Promotes Innocent to VP
May 17 2017 // LevelFirst, the Dallas-based wholesale broker and MGA binding facility owned by IIAT Services Co., has promoted Kate Innocent to vice president. The promotion coincides with Innocent receiving a life/health insurance...
Texas Senate Committee Again Looks at Texting Ban
May 16 2017 // Another bill that would ban texting and driving has been taken up by the Senate State Affairs committee. The committee approved the Senate version, SB 31 by Laredo Sen. Judith Zaffirini in March, but the measure never made...
Travis Named VP at Texas Wholesale Broker LevelFirst
May 16 2017 // LevelFirst, the Dallas-based wholesale broker and MGA binding facility owned by IIAT Services Co., has appointed Mary Travis as vice president. Travis is based in Houston. She will service new and existing clients in the...
Surplus Lines Could Meet Your Insured’s Flood Coverage Needs
May 15 2017 // The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been the topic of much debate in recent years, especially with the program set to expire on September 30. The NFIP is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency...
People – South Central
May 15 2017 // Workers’ compensation insurer, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., named Jeremiah Bentley as vice president of marketing and customer engagement. He joined Texas Mutual in 1998 and has served in a variety of roles across the...
Louisiana Worker’ Comp Rates Are Down, but Costs per Claim Growing
May 15 2017 // Workers’ compensation rates decreased statewide in Louisiana on May 1 by 9.8 percent, marking the fourth year in a row rates have dropped in that state, according to insurance regulators. In January, the Louisiana...
Insurance Industry-Backed Storm Damage Bill Passes Texas House
May 15 2017 // The passage in the Texas House of a bill limiting liability for property insurance companies sued by policyholders following weather related events has given the insurance industry, which lobbied strongly for the bill,...
