July 21, 2023 

Ohio agency drops fees for insurance companies

The Toledo Blade, July 20, 2023

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Insurance said the state’s insurance agency will save a collective $11 million annually thanks to reduced fees.

The department said beginning this month, it has reduced the agent appointment fee from $15 to $10. Insurers must pay the fees based on every line of insurance that they sell, then renew the appointment fees each year. The idea is to ensure that only properly licensed insurance agents are selling products.

The department said the savings would mean the state’s insurance agency would be more stable and predictable, and the savings could allow insurance operations to expand.

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Over 150,000 Ohioans cast ballots in first week of early voting for August election

The Columbus Dispatch, July 21, 2023

Over 150,000 Ohioans have already voted early for the upcoming August election, outpacing past elections that had key races for governor and U.S. Senate on the ballot.

According to data from Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office, 155,181 people returned absentee ballots or voted early in-person through the seventh day of early voting on Wednesday. Ohioans will decide in the Aug. 8 election whether to support Issue 1, which would make it harder to amend the state constitution.

The surge in early voting surprised election officials, who expected a slow start because of the election's unusual timing. Now, local boards of elections are waiting to see if the trend sticks. “It’s been busy," said Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials. "It's been an active week of voting, probably more than we had anticipated if we’re being honest."

Roughly 116,000 Ohioans voted early at their local boards of elections, according to LaRose's office, and nearly 39,000 returned absentee ballots. In total, over 148,000 absentee ballots have been mailed to voters since July 11. Ohio rarely holds statewide elections in August, and it's even more uncommon for issues to be on the ballot. Because of that, there's no perfect historical comparison to help election officials predict turnout for Aug. 8.

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Insurance regulators wrestle with AI supervision

Think Advisor, July 19, 2023

State insurance regulators have drafted rules for how insurers use artificial intelligence.

The Innovation Cybersecurity and Technology Committee, an arm of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, posted a draft AI model bulletin on the NAIC’s website Monday.

The committee says that insurers must take responsibility for the actions of their own AI-based systems and that they also must monitor their vendors’ AI systems. When an insurer is working with an outside organization that has developed or deployed an AI system that affects consumers, the insurer must show how it verifies that the systems “are designed to meet the legal standards imposed on the insurer itself,” according to the draft model.

State regulators hope insurers can keep AI systems from making unfair and possibly discriminatory decisions about insurance.

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New anti-speeding campaign being launched following deadliest year for crash-related deaths in L.A. history 

KTLA5, July 17, 2023

The California Highway Patrol and the Auto Club of Southern California are teaming up to start a new campaign against speeding after the city of Los Angeles experienced the highest number of crash-related fatalities in its history last year. 

The “Better Slow Than Sorry” campaign comes after 309 people were killed in car accidents in Los Angeles in 2022. In 2021, the results weren’t much better: car accidents claimed 300 lives across the city. Pedestrians and cyclists saw a combined total of 178 deaths due to traffic accidents in 2022. According to Los Angeles-based road advocacy group Streets Are for Everyone, speed is said to be the number one cause of these deadly crashes. 

“We have to continue to remind people about the dangers of speeding,” said Doug Shupe, a spokesperson AAA. “We want people to make this a community wide effort; it can’t just be law enforcement or traffic safety advocates or government officials … it takes all of us talking with our friends and our family and our teen drivers about the dangers of going above the speed limit on our roads.” 

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Science of reading enacted in Ohio’s new budget

Ohio Capital Journal, July 21, 2023

Ohio students will learn how to read using the science of reading. The state’s two-year, $191 billion budget that Gov. Mike DeWine signed earlier this month includes a chunk of money that goes toward implementing the science of reading, which is based on decades of research that shows how the human brain learns to read and incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The science of reading provisions in the budget include $86 million for educator professional development, $64 million for curriculum and instructional materials, and $18 million for literacy coaches. Ohio now joins more than 30 states and the District of Columbia that have passed or implemented new policies related to evidence-based reading since 2013, according to Education Week.

“I believe we are doing more to support and encourage Ohio’s children to lead happy, healthy, and productive lives than ever before,” DeWine said in a statement. “Whether it is helping them get the healthiest start in life … to ensuring their teachers have the resources and skills needed to teach students how to read in the way their brains learn to read.”

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