Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Cops Draw Blood to Catch Impaired Drivers

Apr 23 2019 // It was about 6:30 on a Friday night in January when Phoenix Police Det. Kemp Layden pulled over a white Jeep Cherokee that was speeding and weaving in and out of its lane. The 47-year-old driver spoke slowly, his eyes were...

As an Unelected Legal Organization Attempts to Rewrite Insurance Law, Indiana Legislators are Pushing Back

Apr 22 2019 // State legislatures, including Indiana’s General Assembly, are moving to protect themselves from an emerging version of legal “alternative facts” as yet another venerable American institution erodes its...

Car Sharing Lobbyists Battle Car Renting Lobbyists, Driving State Lawmakers Crazy

Apr 19 2019 // The bill that turned Illinois into the focal point of a bitter debate over car-sharing last year started as a proposal about what happens when a rental car is stolen. The legislation, which would allow rental companies to...

S&P Will Issue ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ Evaluations Including on Insurance Sector

Apr 18 2019 // If you’re among those who regard “environmental, social and governance” as just another in a long line of trendy buzz-phrases, then you may want to rethink. ESG standards, which companies use to highlight...

Florida AOB Reform Bill Passes Final Committee, Heads to Full Senate

Apr 18 2019 // A bill the Florida insurance industry says will help reign in assignment of benefits abuse that is plaguing the state and raising insurance costs has passed its final committee in the Florida Senate and is now headed to...

Experts Give Texas Mixed Reviews on Disaster Preparedness

Apr 17 2019 // More than a year and a half after Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas, killing dozens, the state is still waiting on billions in federal recovery dollars. In the meantime, Texas lawmakers are looking to prepare the state...

Britain’s Financial Regulator to Review Its Rules for Post-Brexit Landscape

Apr 17 2019 // Britain’s markets watchdog will review its rules as the country readies to leave the European Union, the source of its financial regulation for decades. “Post-Brexit, we need to consider the future of...

Oklahoma Judge: No Jury Trial in Case Against Drugmakers

Apr 16 2019 // An Oklahoma judge has ruled that he, not a jury, will decide the state’s case against several drug manufacturers for their alleged role in the nation’s deadly opioid crisis. The attorney general’s office...

Washington Official Wants to Raise Insurance Tax to Help Fight Wildfires

Apr 15 2019 // With an increasing number of forest fires scorching portions of Washington each year, the Legislature is considering a proposal to create a fund dedicated to preventing and battling wildfires. In March, Commissioner of...

New York City May Ban Pre-Hire Marijuana Tests for Many Job Applicants

Apr 15 2019 // Many job-seekers would no longer face tests for marijuana use under legislation that New York City is likely to enact, taking a novel step as lawmakers and employers around the U.S. grapple with workplace policies about...

Judge Directs Bayer to Enter Mediation with Plaintiffs in Roundup Cancer Lawsuits

Apr 15 2019 // A U.S. judge ordered Bayer AG to pursue mediation with plaintiffs claiming that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, asking the company to try to settle lawsuits that have wreaked havoc on its share price. More than...

Why Uber ‘Depends Heavily’ on Insurance

Apr 15 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc., on its way to an initial public offering that some media reports say could raise $10 billion, might not be in the position it is in without insurance. “Our business depends heavily on...

Declarations

Apr 15 2019 // Disaster Insurance “Allowing the state to invest in an insurance policy will provide predictability and limit taxpayers’ risk of increasing disaster costs.” –California state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa,...

Automation, Artificial Intelligence Part of Plan for Modernizing Texas Insurance Department

Apr 15 2019 // Becoming the chief insurance regulator of a large and populous state with the second largest insurance market in the country was never in Kent Sullivan’s game plan. But when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asked Sullivan to...

California’s Governor Proposes Wildfire Fund, Seeks PG&E Fix

Apr 14 2019 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave legislators just three months to address a multibillion-dollar wildfire liability problem that has forced the state’s largest power company, PG&E Corp., into bankruptcy and...

SoftBank’s Maneuvers Reflect Expanded U.S. Scrutiny of Foreign Investors

Apr 12 2019 // SoftBank Group Corp. has agreed to give up board seats and access to sensitive information, take a more passive role in startups and make other concessions to get government clearance for its technology deals in the United...

Why Europe Should Not Force Talking Cars to Speak Same Language Now: Viewpoint

Apr 12 2019 // If you’ve bought a new car lately, chances are it has some basic communication skills. One day, cities and highways could be full of self-driving vehicles, all talking directly with each other to coordinate traffic...

Assignment of Benefits Reform Moves Forward as Florida House Passes Measure

Apr 12 2019 // Assignment of benefits reform legislation progressed in the Florida legislature yesterday. Lawmakers passed House Bill 7065, one of two key pieces of insurance industry-supported legislation – the other being its...

How Real Are ‘Ethical Artificial Intelligence’ Efforts by Tech Giants?

Apr 11 2019 // The biggest tech companies want the public to know that they’re taking special care to ensure that their use of artificial intelligence to sift through mountains of data, analyze faces or build virtual assistants...

French Court Rules Bayer’s Monsanto Weedkiller Liable for Farmer’s Health Problems

Apr 11 2019 // A French appeals court ruled on Thursday that Bayer’s Monsanto business was liable for the health problems of a farmer who had inhaled a weedkiller product. The ruling in favor of farmer Paul Francois was announced...