Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Michael MolineApril 3, 2017

Legislation addressing assignment of benefits abuse comes up in the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee Monday — and it’s not the version insurance and business interests like. The panel will hear SB 1218 by Sen. Gary Farmer, a trial lawyer from Broward County. A rival bill, SB 1038, by Dorothy Hukill and Kathleen Passidomo, has yet to […]

Michael MolineMarch 24, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott should spend less time talking about Enterprise Florida, and more seeking reform of the workers compensation system and assignment of benefits abuse, if he really cares about protecting jobs, House Speaker Richard Corcoran said Thursday. “We’re talking about a tremendous amount of bandwidth going to Enterprise Florida, going to Visit Florida,” Corcoran […]

Staff ReportsMarch 15, 2017

The House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee approved an assignment of benefits reform bill Tuesday. The bill links fees to pre-litigation offers of judgment and requires policyholders receive notice if a contractor files suit. “The Consumer Protection Coalition applauds Rep. Jamie Grant and House leadership for taking on the issue of Assignment of Benefits fraud and […]

Michael MolineMarch 14, 2017

The House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee voted Tuesday narrowly against requiring workers to pay their own attorney fees in disputes over benefits. The tally went 8-7 against an amendment by Republican Jay Fant to scrap most of a proposed committee bill addressing escalating workers’ compensation premiums. The panel proceeded to approve the underlying bill, 14-1. Fant was […]

Michael MolineMarch 7, 2017

The House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee opened hearings on a 28-page draft bill on workers’s compensation reform Tuesday, as Chairman Danny Burgess urged members and interest groups to “conduct ourselves in good faith — that we not plant our flags on one side or the other and be absolutely inflexible.” Burgess said the draft represents a […]

Michael MolineMarch 6, 2017

The National Council on Compensation Insurance will take no position on a Senate bill that would require workers’ compensation carriers to propose their own rates to the Office of Insurance Regulation. “We don’t have an opinion in it. We operate in both environments,” Susan Donegan, chief regulatory services officer for NCCI, said in a telephone interview Monday. […]

Michael MolineMarch 6, 2017

The insurance industry already has a good idea how one of it’s top priorities for the 2017 Legislative Session seems likely to go. It found out when the House and Senate unveiled their plans for fixing the workers’ compensation system Friday. But there’s more than that to worry about as session opens Tuesday. The industry […]

Michael MolineMarch 3, 2017

The Senate released its version of a workers’ compensation fix Friday, and the measure would lift limits on attorney fees in some cases and require insurance companies to file their own rates, rather than let a ratings agency do the job for them. The House released a draft, labeled “for discussion at a workshop March 7,” that also would […]

Scott PowersFebruary 21, 2017

The Pulse nightclub massacre took its toll on at least one Orlando cop who responded that horrible morning and state Sen. Victor Torres said he’s convinced it’s time the state recognized Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a covered disability for Workers Compensation claims. Torres filed Senate Bill 1088 Wednesday night to make first responders suffering from […]

Michael MolineFebruary 14, 2017

Associated Industries of Florida released its fix for rising workers’ compensation rates Tuesday. The lobby’s proposed legislation would make injured employees responsible for their own attorney fees. The draft bill stipulates that “a claimant is responsible for payment of her or his own attorney fees” for litigation arising from a claim. “A judge of compensation […]

Tag: workers compensation

Assignment of benefits fight finally coming to a Senate committee vote

House Speaker: Rick Scott’s focus on Enterprise Florida is misdirected

Capitol Reax: AOB reform, workers compensation, medical marijuana, gun bills

House committee rejects attorney-fee amendment, OKs workers’ comp bill

House chairman seeks ‘good faith’ as hearings open on workers’ comp draft bill

With role on the line, NCCI insists: We’re not ‘an evil empire unto itself’

Insurance companies have plenty to worry about as Legislative Session opens

House, Senate release details of their workers’ compensation legislation

First responders suffering from PTSD addressed in Vic Torres bill

AIF workers’ comp fix would make employees pay their own attorney fees