Week 7, 2012 report - House continues to take lead

With two weeks left to go, if nothing else, give the House credit for making substantial progress on insurance legislation – even if the final outcome remains in doubt. During week 7 of Florida’s 2012 legislative session, an additional seven bills were passed by the full House and four more were approved by their last House committee.

This brings the total to fourteen measures that have passed the House. Only one of these bills, however, has been approved by final Senate committee action, and none has come to a vote on the Senate floor. A few are scheduled for Senate committee hearings during week 8.

Below is a summary of week 7 action:

Week 6, 2012 - nine insurance bills move in House

This past week saw a flurry of activity on insurance legislation in the Florida House and virtually none in the Senate. Nine bill were passed in the House or approved in their last House committee during week 6.

This brings to sixteen for the session, the number of bills that have passed the House or all required House committees. With one exception, however, none are ready for full Senate action.

Mid-session report - week 5, 2012

The middle of week 5 marked the mid-point of Florida’s 2012 legislative session. Of the 30 or so insurance measures I have been following, 11 inched forward last week.

There are now four weeks left to go, with the session scheduled to end on March 9, 2012. Below is a combined week 5 update and mid-term report on a select dozen insurance matters – four of the more controversial issues still kicking around, four bills that seem poised for passage (eventually), and four that appear dead for the session.

Passed House or ready for House vote, end of week 5, 2012

Seven insurance bills have either been passed by the Florida House of Representatives or approved by all required House committees, as of the end of week 5, 2012 Florida legislative session. All are waiting for additional committee action in the Senate.

The following measures have passed the House as of the end of week 5:

OIR Releases 2010 Workers' Compensation Report

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has released its 2010 Workers' Compensation Annual Report on the state of the workers' compensation insurance market in Florida. The report analyzed the availability and affordability of coverage for workers' compensation insurance in Florida with data for the calendar year 2009 with the benefit of information available from 2010 and concluded that Florida's market is competitive.