An effort to crack down on alleged fraud in the auto-glass repair industry, particularly along the Interstate 4 corridor, is spurring an insurance battle in the state Legislature. A proposal by Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, that went before the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Tuesday would prohibit repair shops from offering rebates or other incentives, such as gift cards, in exchange for motorists making insurance claims for windshield repairs or replacement. The proposal (SB 312), tied to a long-running controversy about the state’s “assignment of benefits” insurance laws, would also ban repair shops from compensating people to solicit for insurance claims. The committee tabled the bill Tuesday due to a lack of time, but Stewart remained optimistic about the proposal, saying, there are a “lot of good things” in it. Stewart also is looking to amend the proposal to require repair shops to produce written estimates, to require estimates be in larger print, to set up a pre-lawsuit process between repair shops and insurance companies, to impose windshield calibration requirements and to increase notifications to customers. “We’re just trying to make sure when you get your glass replaced, everything is working when you leave,” Stewart said. However, Leslie Kroeger, president of the Florida Justice Association, said the bill isn’t “pro-consumer” and won’t help small businesses. “There is no requirement that the insurance company pay once they get all the additional things that now these small businesses are required to submit,” Kroeger said.…

Schools could soon stock up on naloxone – an antidote for people who overdose on opioids, such as heroin – under a proposal unanimously approved by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.…