Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, February 2

Feb 2, 2012

 

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

 

Florida’s 2012 Regular Legislative Session

  • Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
  • Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar

 

8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.–Senate Budget Subcommittee on General Government Appropriations.  To view the meeting packet, click here.

  • SB 1152 relating to Repeal of A Workers’ Compensation Independent Actuarial Peer Review Requirement by Senator Garrett Richter

(CANCELED) 10:00 a.m.– Florida Surplus Lines Service Office National Clearinghouse Committee meeting.   To view the meeting notice, click here.

1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.–Medicaid and Public Assistance Fraud Strike Force meeting.  Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Attorney General Pam Bondi will brief the 11-member Strike Force on new initiatives aimed at tackling fraud and will receive updates from the Strike Force agencies on their progress on antifraud measures.  To view the agenda, click here.

1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.–House Session

  • CS/CS/HB 245 relating to Depopulation Programs of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation by the House Economic Affairs Committee; the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee; State Representative Jim Boyd
  • HB 4061 relating to Uniform Home Grading Scale by State Representative Mack Bernard
  • HB 4059 relating to Property and Casualty Insurance by State Representative Larry Metz
  • HB 4087 relating to Repeal of a Workers’ Compensation Independent Actuarial Peer Review Requirement by State Representative Ben Albritton

3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.–Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance.  To view the meeting packet, click here.

  • SB 1844 relating to Alien Insurers by Senator Jack Latvala
  • SB 1860 relating to Motor Vehicle Personal Injury Protection Insurance by Senator Joe Negron
  • SB 1862 relating to Public Records/Donor Identifying Information/Division of Insurance Fraud by Senator Joe Negron
    • SB 1620 relating to Insurance by Senator Garrett Richter
    • SB 1428  relating to Renewal of a Commercial Lines Insurance Policy by Senator Chris Smith
      • SB 1814 relating to the Uniform Home Grading Scale by Senator Chris Smith

         

         

        Daily Insurance-Related News

         

        Florida Completes Post-Hurricane Beach Inspections 

        Florida today announced results of beach inspections conducted as part of response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

         

        Letter to the Editor:   Why does Florida allow home insurance premiums to triple?  

        Robert Weckerle, Vero Beach Letter:  Why does Florida allow home Insurance premiums to triple? Last month, I was shocked to see a 200 percent increase in my State Farm home insurance premium.

         

        Florida Firefighters Win Workplace Retaliation Claim Against Union, County

        A federal jury has awarded $189,000 to two Tampa Bay area firefighters in a workplace retaliation case.

         

        Florida Lawmakers Tackle Check Cashing Ties to Workers’ Compensation Fraud

        Florida lawmakers are looking to give regulators and law enforcement officials more flexibility to investigate check cashing companies that may be facilitating fraud in the construction industry.

         

        Miami U.S. Representative Ros-Lehtinen takes aim at Holocaust-era insurer and PGA

        A group of South Florida Holocaust survivors will hold a protest Thursday to decry the sponsorship of the upcoming PGA Champions Tour in Boca Raton.

         

        Senate proposal could reduce hospital plans by 9.5 percent

        Florida Senator Joe Negron says he’s looking for $850 million in general reductions, and that eliminating MediPass and using local money to fund HMOs and other managed-care plans could get him there.

         

        Business-tax breaks exceeding $125 million clears key committee

        An influential state House committee unveiled plans Wednesday for more than $125 million a year worth of new business-tax breaks, ranging from broad cuts sought by Republican Governor Rick Scott to narrower ones for everyone from manufacturers to private-airplane owners and oil-drilling concerns.

         

        Senate President Mike Haridopolos shakes up committee chairs amid privatization debate

        Senate President Mike Haridopolos announced Wednesday that he is reshuffling committee chairs amid a contentious debate over prison privatization, in a shakeup that could affect other issues moving through the Senate.

         

        Tax cuts favored by Governor Scott, businesses get House panel approval

        A series of bills providing tax breaks to a wide range of business passed through the House Finance and Tax Committee Wednesday, including some tapped by Governor Rick Scott as among his key economic priorities.

         

        House budget cuts jobs, preserves benefits

        The House Appropriations Committee approved a spending plan Wednesday that would cut more than 4,700 state positions, limit some health care services and raise college tuition, while freeing up more than $1 billion in general revenue for education sought by Governor Rick Scott.

         

        Representative Erik Fresen unveils House casino bill makeover

        In a major rewrite of the HB 487, the license fee for the major casinos would go from $50 million to $125 million and instead of an independent gaming commission, there would be created a Department of Gaming Control under the governor and Cabinet.

         

        Florida House committee amends, passes reclaimed water bill

        The House State Affairs Committee passed a much-debated reclaimed water bill today – this time, with the go-ahead from environmental groups.

         

        100 percent-plus recycling:  Impossible – and not allowed under rewritten House bill

        Recycling saves energy, natural resources and landfill space, supporters say.

         

        Musical chairs in South Florida District 22:  Adam Hasner enters, Patrick Murphy may leave, 2 Broward Democrats ponder

        Redistricting-fueled intrigue continues to swirl around Palm Beach-Broward congressional District 22.

         

        No decision made on Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance judgment appeal

        Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says a decision won’t be made until next week on whether the state’s property insurer of last resort will pursue a U.S. Supreme Court appeal of a $93 million judgment against the company.

         

        Report faults California utility on windstorm response

        The California Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday criticized Southern California Edison’s response to a windstorm that left broad swaths of the Southwest without electricity last year.

         

        New York Times:  Three States to Require Insurers to Disclose Climate-Change Response Plans

        Insurance commissioners in California, New York and Washington State will require that companies disclose how they intend to respond to the risks their businesses and customers face from increasingly severe storms and wildfires, rising sea levels and other consequences of climate change, California’s commissioner said Wednesday.

         

         

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