Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Michigan Senate GOP Priority: Cutting Car Insurance Rates

Jan 17 2019 // Michigan Senate Republicans have signaled their intent to make lowering high auto insurance premiums a top priority in the two-year session, proposing legislation that would make it optional for Michigan drivers to buy...

South Carolina Lawmakers Try to Legalize Medical Marijuana, Again

Jan 17 2019 // South Carolina lawmakers are once again introducing legislation to legalize marijuana for treatment of critically ill patients in the state, making another go at a debate that has gradually made progress in this deeply red...

Trump EPA Chief Tells Senators Climate Change ‘Not the Greatest Crisis’

Jan 17 2019 // U.S. President Donald Trump’s new pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency told lawmakers on Wednesday he does not believe climate change is a major crisis, and would continue to undo Obama-era emission limits...

Cyber Joins Business Interruption as Top Global Business Risks: Allianz Survey

Jan 16 2019 // Cyber incidents join business interruption as the top risks facing global businesses, according to a survey conducted by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS). The impact of business interruption (which includes...

Criminalizing 1st-Time DUIs in Wisconsin Is a Tough Sell

Jan 16 2019 // With a new Democratic ally in the governor’s office, a handful of Republican lawmakers are pushing for Wisconsin to join the rest of the country and criminalize first-offense drunken driving. On paper it might look...

May’s Brexit Deal Rejected by Parliament in Landslide Vote

Jan 15 2019 // Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal was rejected by Parliament in a humiliating defeat, her plan for leaving the European Union all but dead. She now faces a confidence vote in her government. The House of...

CSAA in California Names Evans VP of Regulatory and Government Affairs

Jan 15 2019 // CSAA Insurance Group has named Katherine Evans president of regulatory and government affairs. Evans will oversee all areas of CSAA Insurance Group’s government and regulatory practices, and will report to the...

TDI Shares Consumer Concerns About Contractors, Roofers with Lawmakers

Jan 15 2019 // While not making any specific recommendations to lawmakers regarding the licensing of building and roofing contractors, the Texas Department of Insurance noted in its 2018 Biennial Report to the Legislature that the...

Insurance Regulators’ Group NAIC Names 2019 Key Committee Leaders

Jan 15 2019 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has named its 2019 committee chairs and vice chairs. The association of state insurance regulators also assigned members to its standing committees. “The...

Connecticut Judge Dismisses Opioid Crisis Lawsuits Against Drugmakers

Jan 15 2019 // A Connecticut judge has dismissed lawsuits against Purdue Pharma and two dozen other drug companies brought by 37 cities and towns in the state, which blame them for the opioid crisis and seek to recoup millions of dollars...

UK Prime Minister’s Brexit Deal Faces Crushing Parliamentary Defeat

Jan 15 2019 // Prime Minister Theresa May is set to see her Brexit deal rejected in the biggest Parliamentary defeat for a British government in 95 years after her last minute pleas for support appeared to fall on deaf ears. The battle...

2019 Cyber Insurance Predictions: Strong Drivers for Growth Ahead

Jan 15 2019 // Cyber insurance is trending upward, the industry is growing, and the technology around it is evolving at a very quick pace. While predictions are always hard to make, here are five trends that are likely to catapult the...

U.S. Plan for Major Expansion of Drone Uses Allows Flights at Night, Above Crowds

Jan 15 2019 // The federal government has unveiled a long-awaited set of proposals to dramatically expand civilian drone flights while also tightening security, critical steps for an industry seeking to expand into robot aerial...

Suit Targets Shell Over Oilfield Contamination in Louisiana’s Spanish Lake Basin

Jan 14 2019 // Wetland ecologist Scott Nesbit drove down a gravel oil field road in Louisiana in an all-terrain utility vehicle, zipping under a heavy forest canopy toward what he says is the source of it all. Nesbit’s target was a...

PG&E Bankruptcy Looms With $30B in Potential Liabilities from California Wildfires; CEO to Exit

Jan 14 2019 // PG&E Corp. said it will file for bankruptcy in California after the cost of wildfires left it with potential liabilities of $30 billion or more, gutting its share price and prompting the departure of its chief...

Regulators Disagree Over Giving Fintechs Federal Charter to Skirt State Rules

Jan 14 2019 // The U.S. Federal Reserve is wary of giving “fintech” firms such as OnDeck Capital Inc. or Kabbage Inc. access to the country’s financial infrastructure, putting the central bank at odds with other...

Judge Lets Berkshire Hathaway’s Dairy Queen Sue Over ‘Blizzard’ Trademark

Jan 11 2019 // A federal judge in Minnesota ruled this week that Dairy Queen, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., may pursue its lawsuit to stop W.B. Mason Co. from selling “Blizzard” bottled spring...

New York Fines Two Insurers $2.2M, Orders $8M in Rebates to Firefighters

Jan 11 2019 // The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has fined Arch Insurance Company and National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Penn., a combined total of $2.2 million in fines and ordered the insurers...

Judge Wants PG&E Power Restrictions for Next California Wildfire Season

Jan 10 2019 // A U.S. judge has proposed restricting utility PG&E Corp from using power lines deemed to be unsafe during high winds in the 2019 California fire season, adding another complication for the California utility as it...

California Governor Proposes $150M in Wildfire Investments, 911 Fee

Jan 10 2019 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged fresh investments to prevent, fight and escape wildfires, including millions to help local governments improve their communication during emergencies and a fee to fund an update for...