Public Announcements

With the Texas Legislature adjourned until the 90th Session in January 2027, the focus for corporate risk managers and insurance professionals has shifted to the "interim" period—the critical window where the groundwork for future regulation is laid.

🚀 New Leadership at TDI

In February, Amanda Crawford (formerly Texas CIO) succeeded Cassie Brown as Insurance Commissioner. Brown officially retired from her position in early February. While Brown’s tenure was marked by continued expansion in Texas captives and providing financial relief to Texans through rigorous rate reviews, Crawford could use her prior role to influence her priorities toward tech-driven modernization, focusing on AI, data governance, and digital infrastructure. We will be sure to provide updates on how her new strategies will assist in taking Texas insurance legislation to new frontiers.

This month, we anticipate the formal release of interim charges from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Dade Phelan. We are monitoring the Senate Business & Commerce and House Insurance Committees to track the priorities that will shape the 2027 Legislative Session. More to come once the official announcements are made this month.

⚖️Texas Supreme Court & Regulatory Watch

Liability & Risk Rulings

• Vicarious Liability (In re Home Depot U.S.A.): Set for March arguments, this case will decide if shippers are liable for accidents caused by independent contractors. A plaintiff victory could spike vicarious liability and excess pricing while creating an avenue for increased litigation against shippers, ultimately increasing consumer costs.

• Non-Subscriber Protections (In re East Texas Medical Center): Now being applied by lower courts after a decision came down last year, this ruling allows employers who "opt out" of Workers’ Comp to use “proportionate responsibility” to reduce payouts by shifting fault to liable third parties.
• Procedural Shift: Rule 166a Rewrite - Effective March 1, 2026, new rules for Summary Judgment take effect. To curb meritless claims, the Court now mandates strict 21-day response deadlines and requires judges to rule within 90 days. This increases predictability for legal budgets but raises the stakes for precise, timely drafting to avoid defaults.

We will continue to monitor these committee hearings, rulings, and nuclear verdicts as they evolve.

Cory Mangum
DFW RIMS External Affairs Committee Chair
[email protected]