Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, February 25
Feb 25, 2014
To go directly to the section of your choice, click on a hyperlink below. Other hyperlinks to meeting information, bills and news are noted in bold type.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.–U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Hearing: Reauthorizing TRIA–The State of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Market, Part II.” For more information, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
In D.C. meeting with Obama, Governor Rick Scott calls for flood insurance solution
Florida Governor Rick Scott, who has been trying to raise his profile on the burning issue of flood insurance, got a prime opportunity Monday in a meeting with President Barack Obama, the Miami Herald’s Alex Leary reports.
Senate President opposes nurse practitioner bill
Florida Senate President Don Gaetz announced his opposition to a controversial House bill that could expand the power of nurse practitioners, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Phil Amman writes.
Florida’s health-insurance site still all expenses, no revenue
Florida has spent nearly six years trying to get its insurance-buying website off the ground. The biggest expenditure for the taxpayer-funded project during that time? Staff salaries. Frank Gluck reports for the Ft. Myers News Press.
Scott’s pension-tension with GOP lawmakers
Despite outward signs of support, Governor Rick Scott’s administration quietly endangered a top priority of fellow Republicans in the Legislature by delaying a financial analysis needed to help justify a public-worker pension-reform plan, Marc Caputo reports for Tampa Bay Times’ “The Buzz” blog.
Group calls on Legislature to review nuclear cost recovery law amid focus on FPL’s St. Lucie plant
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is calling on the Legislature to review again its nuclear cost recovery law in light of a Tampa Bay Times report that Florida Power & Light Co.‘s St. Lucie nuclear plant is in trouble, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports.
Coalition announces “Moral Mondays” protest plan for Session eve
A coalition of labor and civil rights organizations Monday announced plans for a mass rally at the Florida Capitol on the eve of the 2014 legislative session, to press a wide-ranging social agenda topped by changing Republican minds about accepting $51 billion in federal funding to expand Medicaid, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
Florida Department of Education releases performance scores for teachers
The Florida Department of Education released individual teacher evaluation scores Monday, The Florida Current’s James Call reports.
Senate Committee Issues Draft Legislation for Changes in Florida Gambling Law
All of sudden it’s game back on for gambling in the 2014 Florida Legislature, Nancy Smith reports for SunshineStateNews.com.
Florida may allow in-state tuition for illegal immigrants
State lawmakers could approve a bill this session allowing qualified Florida students to pay in-state college tuition even if they are in the country illegally, Associated Press reports via the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Subpoenas offer glimpse into federal probe connected to Clearwater’s Direct Mail Systems
Federal subpoenas released by House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero show that federal investigators are looking into two direct mail companies, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Peter Schorsch reports.
Police: Death of missing legislative intern appears accidental
Tallahassee police are saying the death of a legislative intern appears to be accidental, the Associated Press reports via the Tampa Tribune.
U.S. House Introduces National Flood Insurance Rate Hike Delay Gaining Bipartisan Support
Legislation was introduced in the House late Friday night that would substantively roll back the National Flood Insurance Program rate hikes imposed by 2012 legislation, Arthur Postal reports for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
Efforts Abandoned to Seek Convergence with IASB on Accounting for Insurance Contracts
The U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board abandoned efforts to seek convergence with the International Accounting Standards Board on insurance contracts, and will instead focus on targeted improvements to the existing U.S. GAAP insurance-accounting model, says Moody’s Investors Service. Phil Gusman reports for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
Private Flood Insurance Bill Passes West Virginia Senate
A bill to create a private flood insurance option in West Virginia has passed unanimously in the Senate, Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
Five new companies’ registrations are confirmed
A total of five new companies’ registrations were confirmed by the Bermuda Monetary Authority in January, it was announced yesterday, the Royal Gazette reports.
Bermuda Finance Minister on reinsurance industry: “We can, must and will improve our performance”
New ways of buying insurance do not generate as many jobs – but Bermuda has to keep its position at the cutting edge of the industry, Royal Gazette’s Raymond Hainey reports on Bermuda Finance Minister Bob Richards speech yesterday.
USAA CEO to Step Down in 2015 after 20 years
The president and CEO of the insurer of military families, USAA, announced he will retire from USAA in the first quarter of 2015, Insurance Journal reports.
Car Crashes Decrease Among Senior Drivers
Older drivers today are less likely to be involved in car crashes than prior generations, according to a study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The findings support a continuing trend that began in the mid-1990s and help to quell fears of aging baby boomers becoming a safety and insurance threat on the road, National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com reports.​
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