Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana Expands Medical Marijuana Program Eligibility
Jun 5 2018 // More Louisiana residents with chronic pain and suffering will be able to seek treatment for their ailments through the state’s medical marijuana program. Gov. John Bel Edwards agreed to the expansion proposal a few...
UK Minister Vows Financial Services to Remain ‘National Priority’ After Brexit
Jun 5 2018 // Financial services will remain a “guiding light” for Britain’s economy after Brexit and there is no intention to “rip up the rulebook” to compete better as a top financial center, a government...
California Legislators Said to Consider Wildfire Relief Fund to Help Utilities
Jun 4 2018 // California lawmakers are said to be considering a proposal to help utilities shoulder billions of dollars in potential liability costs while offering relief to wildfire victims by setting up a compensation fund that would...
Stroock Hires Chung as a Partner in Its New York Office
Jun 4 2018 // Stroock has hired Huhnsik Chung as a partner in the firm’s insurance and reinsurance practice within its New York office. He arrives to the firm from Baker McKenzie, where he chaired the North America Insurance...
South Carolina Passes First Insurance Industry Cybersecurity Law
Jun 4 2018 // South Carolina has become the first state to pass a model cybersecurity bill requiring any insurance entity operating in the state to establish and implement a cybersecurity program protecting their business and their...
California Workers’ Comp Directors and Officers Cleanup Law Takes Effect July 1
Jun 4 2018 // A new law that enables corporate directors and officers owning at least 10 percent of a business to opt out of workers’ compensation coverage goes into effect on July 1. The law is intended to reduce the threshold of...
Policymakers Take On Distracted Driving Nationwide
Jun 4 2018 // Over the course of several decades, auto crash rates and fatalities had been on the decline. This reduction offset slightly increased crash severity and helped to moderate the cost of auto insurance. However, starting in...
People
Jun 4 2018 // Doug Slape has been promoted to second-in-command at the Texas Department of Insurance. Slape has been at the agency since 1988 and has served as deputy commissioner for the Financial Regulation Division the past three...
Coal Industry Tax Cut Threatens Miners’ Benefits Fund as Black Lung Cases Surge
Jun 1 2018 // As a young man, Barry Shrewsbury dug coal in the West Virginia mines and spent his time off hunting and fishing in the rolling hills. Now, at 62, he struggles to breathe and accomplish basic tasks such as shopping and...
South Carolina Passes First Insurance Industry Cybersecurity Law
May 31 2018 // South Carolina has become the first state to pass a cybersecurity bill requiring any insurance entity operating in the state to establish and implement a cybersecurity program protecting their business and their customers...
Texas Governor Unveils School Safety Plan, Proposed Gun Law Changes
May 30 2018 // Note: This story originally appeared in The Texas Tribune. Less than two weeks after 10 people were killed in a southeast Texas school shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott laid out a 40-page, 40-strategy plan for preventing future...
European Insurers Bypassing U.S. Treasuries
May 29 2018 // U.S. Treasuries need to get a lot cheaper to attract some European investors. Even with yields at multi-year highs, Treasuries are paying less than their pricier German peers when European insurers account for steep...
Florida Judge Rules State’s Smokable Medical Marijuana Ban Unconstitutional
May 29 2018 // Florida’s ban that prevents medical marijuana patients from smoking their cannabis has gone up in smoke. Leon County Circuit Court Judge Karen Gievers on Friday ruled that a state’s ban on smokable cannabis is...
Illinois Lawmakers Send Governor Bill Legalizing Industrial Hemp
May 25 2018 // The Illinois House has sent the governor a measure legalizing industrial hemp. The House voted 106-3 this week to allow hemp cultivation for commercial use. Hemp is a form of the cannabis plant distinct from marijuana. It...
GDPR Day 1: Wake-Up Call for Many; Media Sites Shut EU Access
May 25 2018 // New European privacy regulations went into effect on Friday that will force companies to be more attentive to how they handle customer data. The ramifications were visible from day one, with major U.S.-media outlets...
GDPR Day 1: A New Era in Data Privacy Begins
May 25 2018 // From tech giant Facebook Inc. to libraries and schools, organizations are now subject to the world’s most far-reaching data privacy regulation in a crackdown aimed at protecting people from losing control over their...
Microsoft to Extend EU Data Privacy Rights Globally. Facebook, Google Not Quite.
May 24 2018 // Microsoft promised this week to give users worldwide the same data and privacy rights Europeans will get under new regulations there. That’s in contrast to some of its tech rivals, who are hedging on how much privacy...
How Data Privacy Laws Could Hamper Insurance Underwriting
May 24 2018 // Complying with the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation is leading insurers and reinsurers to dilute the types of data they gather—something that could diminish underwriting quality, A.M. Best...
North Carolina Judge Awards $4.7M to Family of Man Killed Outside Strip Club
May 24 2018 // The family of a man shot to death outside a strip club in North Carolina has been awarded nearly $5 million from the operators of the club. The Winston-Salem Journal reported a judge granted a default judgment Monday...
Insurers Welcome Global Regulation Provision in Banking Reform Bill
May 23 2018 // The financial services regulatory reform measure passed by Congress yesterday, which contains parts of more than 25 different bills, includes a provision on international insurance regulation that is being met with cheers...
