California earthquake insurance could be shaky if Seismic Safety Commission loses its funding

California insurance market getting a shake down A 2010 ballot initiative could cause the Seismic Safety Commission in California to lose its funding before the end of 2012. The ballot initiative was designed to help to make it more difficult for government fees to be imposed on individuals and businesses. It also caused the California Legislative Analyst’s Office to decide that the proposed funding method by the governor to the Safety Commission is now unconstitutional. The analyst made the recommendation that there be a rejection by the Legislature of the…

Read More

California climate change conference discusses issues and economic impact on insurance industry as well others

The long awaited climate conference was launched by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, where he made a strong attack on the Republican party, libertarians, and other groups that refuse to believe that we are in a period of climate change and that this will increase the number of risks to which Californians are exposed. There were approximately 250 leaders for business and energy policy who were present at Brown’s “Extreme Climate Risks and California’s Future” conference, which lasted a day and was held in San Francisco at the California Academy of…

Read More

Pregnancy disability insurance in California has been extended

New legislation in California will mean that employers will be required to extend their pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition, disability insurance coverage for workers for up to up to 16 weeks. Senate Bill 299 was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown and will become effective on January 1, 2012. It will require employers to provide continuous health insurance coverage for up to 16 weeks for workers that are disabled due to pregnancy on the same grounds as they would before a they had taken any leave of disability.…

Read More

New California laws bring promising changes to the state’s insurance industry

California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a number of health care legislations this month. Many of the laws were designed to bring affordable health insurance to those in greatest need. The new legislations are expected to make some major changes to the state’s health insurance industry as they introduce stiffer regulations concerning rates and practices. Small businesses in the state will be afforded a number of benefits from the laws in the hopes of ensuring employees are able to keep their insurance benefits. Of note, Senate Bill 51 will…

Read More

Fine for using mobile phone while driving increases to $528 maximum

Legislation created to increase the number of tickets issued for driving while using a handheld mobile phone and to increase the maximum fine to $528, has been sent to Governor Jerry Brown (D) from the California legislature. The California Senate has already given Senate Bill 28 its final approval by a 23 to 13 vote. The Assembly had previously voted for it by 51 to 21 in July. The bill will raise the current fines for using a hand held mobile phone while driving from $208 to $328 for the…

Read More