Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Using Hands-Free Devices While Driving Not So Risky: Research
Feb 11 2019 // New research suggests that drivers who use hands-free electronic devices, as opposed to handheld ones, are not increasing their risk of getting into a crash. According to the research from Virginia Tech Transportation...
Another California Utility One Wildfire Away From Ruin
Feb 11 2019 // The warning couldn’t have been clearer. As PG&E Corp. plunged into bankruptcy last month, S&P Global Ratings slashed credit grades almost to junk status for California’s two other big electric...
Quadriga’s Frozen Cryptocurrencies Highlight Canada’s Regulatory Vacuum
Feb 11 2019 // Canada’s biggest securities regulator said on Friday that it was looking into Quadriga CX, as concerns grow that a regulatory gap leaves investors in the digital platform unprotected against potential losses. The...
Bipartisan Bill Would Require Secondary Cockpit Door on All Existing Airplanes
Feb 11 2019 // U.S. lawmakers are pushing for stronger aviation security with a bipartisan bill that would require passenger airlines to install secondary security doors between cabins and the cockpit on current aircraft to prevent...
Microsoft’s Home State’s Facial Recognition Privacy Bill Could Be Model for Others
Feb 8 2019 // Two months after calling for laws to regulate facial-recognition software, Microsoft Corp. is lobbying on behalf of a first-of-its-kind bill in its home state of Washington. The question is whether cross-town rival...
Judge Pauses Lawsuits Against Crypto Exchange as It Hunts for Missing Password
Feb 7 2019 // A cryptocurrency platform that lost access to millions of dollars when its founder died with sole knowledge of company passwords has been granted a temporary reprieve from creditor lawsuits. Halifax judge Michael Wood on...
Court Ruling Against ‘Law of Nature’ Patent Riles Biotech
Feb 7 2019 // A way to diagnose a severe neurological disorder can’t be patented as it covers a law of nature, a U.S. appeals court ruled Wednesday in a closely watched case that sought to clarify the patenting for medical...
Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Afable Names 3 to Leadership Team
Feb 6 2019 // Wisconsin’s new insurance commissioner, Mark Afable, has made three additional appointments to the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance’s (OCI) leadership team Nathan Houdek has been tapped to serve as...
Vermont Lawmakers Seek to Eliminate Insurance Pre-Authorization
Feb 6 2019 // Vermont legislators are seeking to ban insurance companies or Medicaid from requiring pre-authorization before approving medication-assisted treatment. Democratic Rep. Ann Pugh tells The Times Argus she wants to remove any...
West Virginia Gov. Appoints Hunter Acting Insurance Commissioner
Feb 6 2019 // West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has appointed Erin K. Hunter as acting insurance commissioner for the state, effective Jan. 25, 2019. She takes over for Allan McVey who was appointed by Justice last month as Secretary...
Florida Insurance Commissioner Altmaier Elected VP of the NAIC
Feb 6 2019 // Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier has been elected by members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to serve as vice president of the organization, effective immediately. Altmaier joins...
Lacewell Takes Over as New York DFS Superintendent Following Vullo’s Tenure
Feb 5 2019 // When Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York launched his statewide banking and insurance regulator several years ago, he picked an aggressive ex-prosecutor who’d spent years under his wing. Now, in naming his latest chief...
Lawmakers Need to Decide Nature of Texas Windstorm Insurer, Sunset Commission Says
Feb 4 2019 // To be the insurer of last resort for wind and hail insurance along the Texas coast — without state support and reliant on premium dollars and debt financing for funding, or to be a true insurance company that derives...
Businesses View Cyber, Business Interruption as Bigger Risks Than Catastrophes
Feb 4 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...
CAUTION: Safety U-Turn for Truckers with Animals
Feb 4 2019 // Hours of Service, Other Safety Exemptions for Livestock Haulers Raise Concerns Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting It was sometime around 4 a.m. on a cool, spring morning when James McGilvray lost control of his...
A Regulatory Sandbox for Insurtechs?
Feb 4 2019 // A Regulatory Sandbox is the title given to the concept that regular regulations should not apply to insurtech companies. The reasoning is that technology can provide a better consumer experience than traditional carriers...
People
Feb 4 2019 // AmTrust Financial Services announced leadership changes as it moves forward as a private company. Its $2.95 billion privatization plan was finalized on November 28, 2018 after receipt of all approvals. AmTrust announced...
Insurance Agents Assured of Trump Pass-Through Tax Break Under Final Treasury Rule
Feb 4 2019 // The U.S. Treasury issued final regulations and other guidance on a provision of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that allows owners of sole proprietorships, partnerships, trusts, and S corporations to deduct up to 20 percent of...
States’ Power Grab to Ease Food Laws Emerges as Public Health Issue
Feb 4 2019 // In recent years, more than a dozen states have passed laws limiting local governments’ ability to create food and nutrition policies and more than two dozen states previously enacted laws preventing obesity-related...
Michigan Senate GOP: Cutting Car Insurance Rates a Priority
Feb 4 2019 // Michigan Senate Republicans have proposed legislation that would make it optional for Michigan drivers to buy what is now mandatory unlimited medical coverage. Senate Bill 1 was the first to be introduced by GOP senators...
