Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report–Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Jun 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
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.–Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of Governors meeting. Winter Park, Florida. Teleconference: (888) 942-8686; conference ID: 5743735657#. To view the meeting notice, click here. Materials are forthcoming.
10:00 a.m.–Florida Board of Employee Leasing Companies Board meeting. Teleconference: (888) 670-3525; conference code: 7489217568#. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Two road-safety bills become Florida law
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed two road-safety bills into law Tuesday. The Miami Herald’s Kathleen McGrory reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.
The information posted by health insurers on a state website indicating they would not seek a rate increase for 2015 in Florida’s individual market was “incorrect” and has been taken down, the Office of Insurance Regulation said late Tuesday afternoon, Carol Gentry reports for Health News Florida.
South Florida hospitals will feel the pinch for patient safety problems
South Florida hospitals will feel the latest pinch from the Affordable Care Act this fall when Medicare reduces their payments for the first time for excessive rates of infections and other preventable injuries to patients, including blood clots, bedsores and falls, according to federal data, the Miami Herald’s Daniel Chang and Jordan Rau report.
Tea Party Favorite Curt Clawson Wins Congressional District 19 Special Election
In a victory for the tea party movement, Republican Curt Clawson won a special election in southwest Florida on Tuesday to replace former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, who resigned in January after pleading guilty to cocaine possession, SaintPetersBlog.com reports.
Another break-through ruling: Divided Supreme Court takes Bainter redistricting appeal
The unprecedented rulings keep on coming. A divided Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear the question of whether 537 pages of documents of political consultant Pat Bainter should have been introduced in a lawsuit by a coalition of voters groups challenging the state’s congressional redistricting maps. The Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.
Florida’s unemployed won’t have to take skills test to get benefits
The unemployed will no longer have to take a skills test to get benefits in Florida, the Sun-Sentinel’s Marcia Heroux Pounds reports.
Florida Attorney General seeks to extend defense of gay-marriage ban
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose strong defense of the state’s constitutional ban on gay marriage in federal court has already prompted sharp criticism, is moving to defend the ban in two other lawsuits pending in state courts, Associated Press’ Gary Fineout reports via the Tampa Tribune.
Grand jury rips Florida’s Department of Children and Families for undercounting child deaths
A Miami-Dade grand jury accused state child welfare administrators Tuesday of “intentionally and deliberately” manipulating the investigation of child deaths because of abuse and neglect – making it appear that fewer children were dying across the state. The Miami Herald’s Carol Marbin Miller and Audra D.S. Burch report.
Funding for legal aid reaches crisis point in Florida
In 2008, the Florida Bar Foundation gave $29 million to legal aid. This year, legal aid is getting just $12 million, the Florida Times-Union reports.
Steve Crisafulli Starts Shaping GOP Primaries as he Builds His Florida House
Incoming House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, announced on Tuesday he was backing three Republicans who have contested primaries as they look to enter the Florida House: Chris Latvala, Rene “Coach P” Plasencia and Bill Young. Kevin Derby reports for SunshineStateNews.com.
John Doak prevails in Oklahoma insurance commissioner primary
Incumbent John Doak won Tuesday’s Republican primary for Oklahoma insurance commissioner with more than three-fourths of the vote, the Oklahomian reports.
Insurers Could Face Suits Over Fannie-Freddie Insurance Prices
The regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will consider suing insurers who charged excessive fees for hazard coverage paid by the two government-owned mortgage companies, an auditor’s report said. Bloomberg’s Clea Benson reports via Insurance Journal.
Treasury Chief Lew Backs Financial Regulators and Risk Designations
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew pushed back against Republican efforts to curtail the work of a council of regulators charged with preventing another financial crisis and said a failure to examine potential risks could lead to “large-scale problems.” Bloomberg’s Ian Katz and Kasia Klimasinska report via Insurance Journal.
Drivers demand Uber close insurance gap for cheap ride-sharing option
The string of protests against ride-sharing service Uber in California rolled on Tuesday, this time led by some of its drivers, Paresh Dave reports for the Los Angeles Times.
New Jersey Senate Fails to Override Sandy “Bill of Rights” Veto
The New Jersey Senate has failed in its effort to override Governor Chris Christie’s conditional veto of the Superstorm Sandy “Bill of Rights” legislation, Geoff Mulvihill reports for Insurance Journal.
An employee dies and the company collects the insurance
Companies are taking out life insurance policies on their employees and collecting the benefits when they die, National Underwriter’s Lynette Gil explains for LifeHealthPro.com.
The Prince of Wales Wants to Talk to You About Insurance
On Tuesday, the International Insurance Society (IIS) announced that none other than His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, will present the keynote tomorrow at the United Nations Financial & Private Sector Disaster Resilience Global Summit in London. Tim Sprinkle reports for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.​
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