Massachusetts
Mass. House approves updates to insurers insolvency fund
BOSTON, Mass. (SHNS)–Massachusetts residents and businesses would secure stronger protections if their property and casualty insurance carriers end up going bankrupt, under a bill gaining late-session momentum on Beacon Hill.
Without debate, the House last week quietly passed a bill (H 4772) that aims to update parameters for an insurance social safety net fund, created by the Legislature in 1970, and raise the caps on property and casualty claims that have not been revised in decades. The Senate sent the redrafted bill, originally sponsored by Rep. Daniel Cahill, to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday.
The bill would ensure that the Massachusetts Insurers Insolvency Fund aligns with a framework promoted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2009, said Barbara Law, who administers MIIF and is the CEO of Guaranty Fund Management Services. The bill also clarifies that MIIF covers cybersecurity insurance claims.
“The Massachusetts version of the statute was one of the oldest in the country — it has not been updated from time to time over the years,” Law told the News Service. “So there are a lot of opportunities to bring current best practices from other states to Massachusetts, plus an opportunity to increase the cap for coverages. So individuals, particularly on the property side, we would be able to ensure that there was enough coverage allowed by the law so they would have a greater likelihood of having the entirety of their claims covered.”
Weather-related events in recent years have caused property insurance insolvencies in Louisiana, Florida and South Carolina, she said.
“We wanted to be prepared if those insolvencies started to have a greater effect on Massachusetts, and we also wanted to make sure that if we start to experience that type of weather up here, that we were prepared,” Law said. “So it really is about preparedness. We wanted to make sure that our law was in shape to make sure that it afforded enough coverage for the residents in Massachusetts.”
The bill would boost the existing claims cap, such as for car accidents and environmental cases, from $300,000 to $500,000, a level already enacted in Connecticut and Rhode Island, according to testimony Law sent to the Financial Services Committee co-chairs last fall. The new limit would not apply to workers’ compensation claims, which do not have a cap and are paid by the fund for life, Law said.
Aiming to provide a safety net for Massachusetts home and property owners, the bill also proposes a $1 million cap for residential or commercial property, a policy that Law said was implemented in California after a wildfire caused an insurer to go bankrupt.
“We do recognize that Massachusetts has high reconstruction values for property, so we recommend a $1 million limit for property claims just to ensure that we keep pace with the time,” she said.
All insurance companies that are licensed to provide property and casualty coverage in the commonwealth are members of MIIF, and they contribute to the fund to help pay out claims, according to GFMS.
The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents supports the bill, particularly the special real property cap provision due to the “increased severity and frequency of these claims,” said CEO Nick Fyntrilakis. In written testimony, Fyntrilakis warned Massachusetts is “currently disadvantaged compared to other states” that have embraced updated insurance policies.
“This bill would enhance benefits to Massachusetts residents affected by insurer insolvencies and reduce costs to the property and casualty insurance guaranty fund framework in the Commonwealth with no tax increases or increased appropriations if enacted,” Fyntrilakis said. He added, “These updates are much-needed and, in some instances, long-overdue.”
Law said MIIF, which is regulated by the Division of Insurance, has paid roughly half a billion dollars in claims to policyholders throughout its history when small and large insurance companies were insolvent. Workers’ compensation claims have largely driven activity in the fund, though Law said MIIF has also seen bursts of activity tied to insolvencies from asbestos-related claims in the late ’80s and early ’90s and the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Massachusetts
Artemis II crew will use laser communications developed in Massachusetts on trip around the moon
The countdown is on for Artemis II and its crew’s historic liftoff Wednesday evening. The mission will mark NASA’s first piloted flight to the moon in 53 years.
Attached to the Orion spacecraft the four astronauts will take around the moon, is a key piece of technology developed over decades in Lexington, Massachusetts.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Researchers and developers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory designed and built optical communication systems, which use lasers instead of traditional radio frequencies to transmit information.
“With laser communications, we’re able to deliver a lot more data with a lot less power and with much smaller terminals,” explained Jade Wang, Assistant Group Leader of Optical and Quantum Communications at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
The technology marks a major leap from the RF systems used during the Apollo missions decades ago. Researchers say those older systems created limits on how much and how reliably data could be sent back to Earth during flight.
“The in-flight instrumentation is a huge bottleneck [on newer spacecrafts], and without laser communications, all of that data that’s critical to the safety and the health of the astronauts wouldn’t be as readily available,” said Steve Gillmer, Assistant Group Leader of Structural and Thermo-Fluids Engineering at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
4K video in space
The new system is expected to provide a faster, more seamless flow of critical data, including 4K video upload and download as well as other capabilities. In a sense those grainy videos of the moon from the 60s and 70s will truly be a thing of the past.
“The way I eventually described it to my friends was I was working to make communications in space more like, bring the internet so astronauts could view cat videos for instance, and to have the experience in space that they currently enjoy at home,” said Wang.
Beyond Artemis II, researchers say technology will play a vital role in the future of deep space exploration. NASA plans to have a moon-landing flight in 2028.
“Artemis is just the first step. Ultimately, we are hoping to send people to Mars for exploration there, and this same of technology is required to kind of provide the amount of data and services that we need for that kind of exploration,” Wang added.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory is owned and operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology but serves as the largest federally funded R&D tasked with developing advanced technology for the DoW, U.S. government agencies and non-DoW organizations such as NASA, the FAA, and NOAA.
Massachusetts
First Student school bus driver strike threat looms over several Massachusetts communities
Some families in Massachusetts are worried about a possible school bus driver strike this week.
Drivers for First Student, the largest school bus company in the country, could walk off the job Wednesday if they can’t reach a new deal by Tuesday night.
Wayland, Duxbury, Plymouth, Sudbury, Fitchburg, Leominster and Springfield are just some of the communities that use the bus service. According to the company, they represent more than 500 districts in 42 states plus Canada; Massachusetts and New Hampshire are among those states.
First Student is in national contract negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The union wants better retirement and medical benefits. The current deal expires on Tuesday. If they can’t agree on a new contract the union has authorized a potential strike starting Wednesday, April 1.
Local contracts include a no-strike clause, but the union’s national agreement may supersede local ones.
“Leominster Public Schools has no control over or influence in these negotiations,” Superintendent Robin Desmond wrote in a letter to parents Monday.
A First Student spokesperson said negotiations are continuing in good faith, but parents in Leominster are bracing for the worst.
“Not all parents can drive their kids in and out of school. The community is very dependent on transportation,” said Leominster parent Lyndsey Miller.
“They get released at 2:15 p.m., (for) a lot of parents’ work schedules that’s going to be hard to do,” said Corey Leighton, the parent of a high school student.
“It’s a broader problem, that’s for sure. So, I think parents will be understanding,” said Leominster parent Victor Novoa. “It would affect our work lives, and we’d have to balance the schedule.”
If your school district uses First Student and you have specific questions, reach out to your town’s school department.
Massachusetts
71-year-old Massachusetts school bus driver fired after allegedly urinating inside bus with students on board
A 71-year-old Swansea, Massachusetts school bus driver has been fired for allegedly urinating inside the bus with students on board Monday morning.
Investigators say the bus driver, whose name was not released, was on the way to Hoyle Elementary School when he pulled over and told students to move to the back of the bus.
“The driver then allegedly relieved himself while sitting in the driver’s seat,” according to a press release from Swansea Public Schools and police. “Through the investigation, it is currently believed that no students on the bus witnessed the driver’s actions.”
The driver then completed the trip and dropped students off at school. An investigation was launched after some students reported the unusual behavior to their teachers. So far, no charges have been filed against the driver.
There were 12 Pre-K to Grade 2 students on the bus at the time. All their parents have been notified.
The Swansea Police Department is investigating and school officials filed a report with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.
“This is a matter we take extremely seriously,” Swansea Public Schools Superintendent Scott Holcomb and Police Chief Mark Foley said in a statement. “This type of behavior in the presence of children, especially young children, is unacceptable, and we will continue to look into the incident.”
The driver is an employee of Amaral Bus Company, which provides transportation services to Swansea Public Schools. The district is reviewing its relationship with the company after the incident.
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