Endorsements Begin in Supreme Court Race
When it comes to stability for the insurance industry, and many other industries crucial to Ohio’s economic vitality, there may be no race more important than the Ohio Supreme Court. Last week, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce endorsed Justices Terrence O’Donnell and Robert Cupp, but
did not issue an endorsement in the race between incumbent Justice Yvette McGee Brown and Butler County Domestic Relations Judge Sharon Kennedy, her Republican challenger.
BWC to Offer Workplace Wellness Grants
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) will be awarding grants up to $15,000 over four years to employers to offset part of the cost of implementing wellness programs in the workplace. The goal of the program is to help control escalating costs of workers’ compensation claims associated with health risk factors such as obesity and chronic disease.
Insurance Director Promotes the Importance of Agents
Lt. Gov./Insurance Director Mary Taylor issued a
press release on Monday emphasizing the value that agents provide to consumers. "This is wonderful for Ohio and our agent members," PIA Executive Vice President George Haenszel, CAE, said. "In my 30+ years, I have struggled to get ODI to say anything positive about agents to the public. ODI internally knows the important role agents play, however, I am hard pressed to recall them ever taking the initiative to publicly commend the vital role of the insurance agent - their primary news to consumers is enforcement actions against agents.
New Year To Bring New Clout For Businesses In State Rulemaking Process
As of next week, agency rulemakers will be required to scrutinize how their regulations might affect businesses. And businesses will have much more power to fight rules deemed to have an "adverse impact" to their operations when provisions of a law passed earlier this year (SB 2) take effect on Jan. 1.
PIA Amendments Included in New Regulations for Cell Phone Insurance Sales
Legislation to create a limited lines license for portable electronics insurance was signed into law by Gov. Kasich Dec. 21 and will take effect March 12. Prior to its passage in the House of Representatives, PIA was successful in securing several changes to the bill, known as
House Bill 250, which would permit a retail vendor, such as Verizon, to sell consumers insurance on portable electronic devices such as cell phones.