Declarations

Declarations

If they can do it

“Forty-nine other states feel comfortable with their departments of insurance regulating ratemaking.”

— Louisiana Sen. Julie Quinn, R-Metairie. The Senate passed a Quinn-sponsored bill that would eliminate the Louisiana Insurance Rating Commission and transfer its regulating power to the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Senators voted 30-6 to approve SB 185.

Closing a loophole

“When the plaintiffs’ attorneys and business community agree that a litigation loophole needs to be closed, you know the legislation is greatly needed.”

— Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland. The Texas Legislature passed HB 1602, by Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale (Tomball), which would protect Texas ports against frivolous lawsuits. A loophole in the Texas civil practices statutes apparently has allowed numerous lawsuits against the dredging companies that keep Texas ports operational. The lawsuits were causing dredging contracts to be cancelled due to a fear of litigation costs, according to the speaker’s office.

A commitment to fire fighters

“At the height of last year’s battles with wildfires, we learned that many of our departments did not have the equipment they needed to handle certain emergency situations.”

— Oklahoma Sen. Jeff Rabon, D-Hugo. Under the state budget passed by the Oklahoma Legislature, fire departments in the state will receive funding for new equipment. $2.5 million will be deposited into a revolving fund that provides fire departments with money for new equipment.

It could have been an ‘A’

“This was a ‘B+’ session that could have been an ‘A’ if Gov. Henry had signed the lawsuit reform bill. … But we still accomplished a lot for the people of Oklahoma, and the Senate finished the people’s business early and in an orderly fashion.”

— Oklahoma Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. Coffee asserted that the fact that the Senate is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats helped move bills along. The body has traditionally been controlled by Democrats. Coffee noted that Senate Republicans used their new authority in the Senate to pass nearly every major component of their legislative agenda.

The last major barrier

“It is essential that the rebuilding at the World Trade Center site proceed as quickly as possible. … The unsettled insurance claims were the last major barrier to rebuilding and have been bitterly and intensely contested for almost six years.”

— New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer and state Insurance Superintendent Eric R. Dinallo recently negotiated a $2 billion settlement between Silverstein Properties and seven insurance companies covering all outstanding insurance claims arising from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Topics Texas Louisiana Oklahoma