New Texas insurance law may make things harder for Hurricane Harvey victims

flood city texas insurance law

As the very first steps for recovery begin, HB 1774, signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) becomes effective. A Texas insurance law, signed by Governor Greg Abbott back in May, will become effective tomorrow. This, at a time when Hurricane Harvey victims are taking the very first steps toward understanding what they can do to recover. Houston, the fourth most populous city in the United States, may have years of recovery ahead. The Texas insurance law will be changing the way claims lawsuits are handled when they…

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Liability insurance exclusions limited for builders in Texas

Contractor Liability insurance

The Supreme Court in the state has also restricted the exclusions for general contractor coverage. The Texas Supreme Court has given a new ruling that may help to increase the consumer confidence levels in terms of the liability insurance coverage that is carried by general contractors as well as builders. The ruling will help to decrease the number of exclusions that exist on these policies. This insurance news was made when Justice Phil Johnson made a ruling that denied the attempt of an insurer to avoid having to pay a…

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Texas Insurance Commissioner’s job may be on the line

Insurance news - Eleanor Kitzman Texas Insurance Commissioner

Democrats in the Senate shot down at least one of the appointments made by the Governor in recent sessions. Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman may be the next one in the crosshairs for the Senate Democrats in the state, which have taken down at least one of the appointments made by Governor Rick Perry in each of the last two legislative sessions. Kitzman was first appointed in 2011 by the governor, and “has serious problem” in the Capitol. This statement was made by Senator Kirk Watson (D-Austin). The Texas Insurance…

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91% of Texans to be insured by 2014, thanks to the Affordable Care Act

The Texas Medicaid Director, Billy Millwee, spoke to the House Public Health and Insurance committees this week regarding the Affordable Care Act. The director has been tracking the trends and effects that the federal health care law has birthed in the state and has come to a promising conclusion. Currently, 74% of the state’s residents have some form of health insurance coverage. Millwee claims that when the Affordable Care Act is fully enacted in 2014, this will jump to 91%. By that time, only 2.3 million Texans will have no…

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Texas windstorm insurance legislation inches closer to becoming law

Texas lawmakers have been toiling over changes to the state’s insurance program, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. The program provides affordable coverage to coastal residences and is one of the few organizations through which homeowners can obtain protections from wind damage. Legislators have been debating over the necessity of the program and whether or not the state should continue to support it. A definitive decision had not been made before the end of the legislative session, but Senators were unwilling to let the issue slide into obscurity. After calling for…

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