Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, October 9
Oct 9, 2008
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Note: The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America has created a new, weekly feature entitled “Decision 2008,” which is designed to provide news and information about key political races that could affect the insurance industry. For your convenience, Capitol to Courthouse News will reprint the entire “Decision 2008” newsletter below.
Florida Hearing Set for Cincinnati Insurance Rate Increase
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced a public hearing will be held to discuss rate hikes Cincinnati Insurance Co. and Cincinnati Indemnity Co. submitted.
CFO SINK: Survey Shows That Rising Energy Costs Could Lead to More Home Fires, Deaths and Injuries
State Fire Marshal Sink warns that alternative heating sources can be risky
Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Alex Sink is joining the American Red Cross and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in warning Floridians about the risks of using alternative, even unconventional, heating sources to keep home heating bills down as fuel costs rise.
Bronson Announces That 59 Counties Eligible for Disaster Assistance from Tropical Storm Fay
Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced that agricultural producers in 59 of Florida’s 67 counties are eligible for federal disaster assistance as a result of damage from Tropical Storm Fay in late August.
Many Floridians lack health insurance, study says
South Florida and the state have uncommonly high percentages of people without health insurance, says a Census study being released Thursday.
Almost one-third of people under 65 in Miami-Dade and one-fourth in Broward lacked health insurance in 2005, according to Census Bureau figures.
Cash, but no flow: What Lehman Bros. did to Fla. HMO
When Lehman Brothers’ investment house collapsed last month, it sent shock waves through the economy that undermined businesses thousands of miles from Wall Street. One of them was MD Medicare Choice, a Tampa-based health insurer.
Florida is performing its annual ritual of sweating out hurricane season, hoping to avoid a major hit. With less than two months remaining, the state has been fortunate so far to escape virtually unscathed (minus the flooding from Tropical Storm Fay). This year, though, there’s a bigger storm brewing that threatens to obliterate the state fiscally.
Gov. Crist signs Silver Alert bill to help missing seniors
Local law enforcement agencies and elderly focused nonprofit groups are singing the praises of an executive order Gov. Charlie Crist signed to help in the search of missing seniors.
9 charged in $1 million South Florida mortgage fraud scheme
Nine South Floridians are facing mortgage fraud charges in an alleged scheme that cost lenders at least $1 million.
Gambling officials feeling fallout from Wall Street’s woes
Professionals in the gambling business have some pretty pointed opinions about the Wall Street titans who brought you the current financial crisis.
Mario Diaz-Balart, Joe Garcia clash — cordially
The candidates vying for the 25th congressional seat clashed Wednesday over the Wall Street rescue plan, healthcare and the war in Iraq, although the two men kept their exchange cordial, in contrast with recent bitter public spats.
Ros-Lehtinen, Taddeo spar at only meeting
The two sparred at Wednesday’s congressional forum, their only scheduled joint appearance. Ros-Lehtinen has not agreed to televised debates, saying people in the 18th district, which stretches from north of Bal Harbour to Key West, already know her.
Legislative Candidates Differ on Taxation
State legislative candidates for the Polk County area met with the Tiger Bay Club of Polk County Monday to answer questions about their vision for the future of the state.
Expect few surprises in District 13 debate
The candidates in the Congressional District 13 race will meet tonight for the first time to talk about the issues.
Senate candidates agree differences minor
In a state Senate race with candidates sharing similar moderate views, Republican Nancy Detert continued to focus on her experience while Democrat Morgan Bentley called for a change Wednesday.
Mailing from shadowy political group blasts Fasano’s record
A shadowy political group with ties to a much-criticized utility has blasted state Sen. Mike Fasano’s record in a flier that hit mailboxes Wednesday.
Credit crunch heightens worries for $1.75 billion U.S. Sugar deal
The global economic lurch has heightened concerns among architects of the state’s ambitious plan to buy U.S. Sugar Corp. for $1.75 billion and use its 187,000 acres to fix the Everglades.
Michigan’s Consumer Advocate Calls for Investigation of Allstate
Michigan’s new insurance consumer advocate wants the state to investigate Allstate Insurance Company.
Study Shows Unintended Consequence of 1st-Party Bad Faith Liabiity
Bad faith remedies designed to protect insurance consumers from unfair claim settlement practices can potentially harm consumers, warns a new report published by the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC).
Regulators: 40,000 Policies to be Removed From Louisiana Citizens
Six insurance companies, some participating in the Insure Louisiana Incentive Program, want to assume 46,898 policies from the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation by Dec. 1, 2008. However, Citizens CEO John Wortman said during a recent board meeting that he expects the final number of policies removed to total around 40,000, the Louisiana Department of Insurance reported.
Hurricane Ike damage claims slowing in Texas, but still flowing into state-backed fund
More than 76,000 damage claims from Hurricane Ike have been filed with the Texas-backed windstorm insurance association, which expects to pay billions of dollars to policy holders for losses.
Hurricane Ike’s Windstorm Costs Insurers $550 Million in Ohio Damages
Winds from Hurricane Ike will cost insurance companies at least $553.1 million to cover property damage and other losses in Ohio, making it the state’s most expensive natural disaster in more than three decades, a trade group said October 7.
Report: Homeland Security network has problems
The replacement for the Homeland Security Department’s computerized network for nationwide information sharing could be headed down the same path as its cumbersome original, said a government report released Wednesday.
Presidential Debate Provides Voters Another Opportunity to Decide
Following last night’s presidential debate, where Barack Obama and John McCain faced off in an issues-oriented exchange, it is not expected that there will be much of swing in the electorate. While most pundits thought the exchange did little to change the dynamics of the race, according to a CBS News/Knowledge Networks poll uncommitted voters thought Obama won the debate. The poll showed that 40 percent judged Obama the winner, compared to 26 percent for McCain and 34 percent said it was a tie. Read More…
One Place for Political Action Information
PCI has created a new, user-friendly political action Web site where members can quickly access information on PCI advocacy programs and customized election information – all in one place.
Visiting www.pcipoliticalaction.net enables you to enroll in PCI’s Insurers for Action grassroots program, get involved in issue advocacy campaigns, learn about political action committees, and access the latest news on the upcoming General Election. For instance, with one click of the mouse you can easily access detailed information on your legislators and how they voted on key industry issues.
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Another key component of the Web site is that it was built to allow PCI to produce cost effective grassroots Web sites for our member companies. State Auto Insurance was the first member to test a customized grassroots Web site.
“State Auto enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to be a pilot company for the PCI’s new political and grassroots Web site program,” said Jon Allison, director of government relations for State Auto. “We have co-designed a first class Web site (www.stateautotree.com) that provides our associates, agents and allies up-to-date political and industry news and user-friendly voter information and advocacy tools. The new Web site provides a foundation from which we will grow a robust grassroots program that empowers State Auto associates and agents to be more informed and active citizens in the 33 states we do business in. Thank you PCI!”
Contact Mike Gilhooly at 847-553-3870 or by e-mail at michael.gilhooly@pciaa.net to learn more about getting a grassroots Web site designed for your company.
Early Voting Begins; Registration Deadlines Near Around the Country
Early voting is underway in 16 states across the country. Rules for early voting vary from state to state but generally require voters to visit an election official’s office or satellite voting location to cast a vote. This process provides an alternative to absentee voting, which generally involves mail-in paper ballots. Nearly half the states allow in person early voting.
As early voting begins, deadlines for registering to vote are fast approaching in half of the states. Voter registration deadlines this week include Missouri, Oct. 8; Idaho, New York, North Carolina, and Oklahoma Oct. 10 and Delaware Oct. 11.
The effort to get more people to the polls begins with registering to vote. To make the process easy, PCI’s new political action website has voter registration tools that you can use to register to vote yourself or help other people you know become registered voters.
Ballot Initiatives Light Up the Political Environment in Colorado and Arizona
While there are ballot initiatives on a wide range of issues across the country, nowhere has the political drama been more intense on these issues than Colorado. This past week, as the deadline for ballot initiatives neared, business leaders announced that they would join forces with labor to defeat anti-union measures, in exchange for labor dropping several anti-business initiatives. Read More…
Quick Takes on the States
PCI examines the political landscape in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Read More…
Quick Takes on Federal Races
PCI examines U.S. Senate races in Colorado, Kentucky and Minnesota. Read More…
Election 2008 Tool Box
Make sure your voice is heard in 2008. Register to vote, learn how to vote early and find information on candidates seeking office across the country.
Do you need to look up the elected officials that currently represent you? Click here to access a list of your federal and state legislators, including full biographies and contact information.
Election Day 2008 features the Presidential Election, 33 U.S. Senate Elections, and 435 U.S. Congressional Elections. There are also 11 state gubernatorial elections. This year’s state legislative elections will bring inevitable change with nearly 80 percent of all legislative seats scheduled for elections. Finally, there are insurance commissioner races in Delaware, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Washington State. Click here to access state and federal candidate information.
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