Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Judge Tosses Lawsuit Over 1968 Mine Blast in West Virginia
Apr 6 2017 // A federal judge in West Virginia has tossed out a lawsuit filed by relatives of 78 miners killed in a 1968 mine explosion in the state. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley in Clarksburg...
Florida Launches AOB Resource, Education Webpage for Consumers
Apr 6 2017 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has launched a new webpage as part of its efforts to educate Florida consumers about the state’s ongoing challenges with assignment of benefits abuse. The AOB resource...
Outlook Good for Texting-While-Driving Ban, Texas Lawmakers Say
Apr 5 2017 // Note this article originally appeared in the Texas Tribune. After pushing the issue for nearly a decade, key lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are optimistic that a statewide texting-while-driving ban is within...
Opposition Growing Against Iowa 911 Secrecy Bill
Apr 5 2017 // Civil rights groups, media advocates and some lawmakers are opposing an Iowa bill that would end public access to many 911 calls, a broadly-worded measure that also could shield some police videos. The bill declares that...
EU to Pay €60M to Britain for Repair of 2015-16 Flood Damage – Despite Brexit
Apr 5 2017 // Britain will get 60 million euros (51.3 million pounds) from the European Union to repair damage caused by the floods last year, a lawmaker said on Tuesday. Britain had asked for EU support to rebuild infrastructure...
Florida Senator Alleges ‘Smear Campaign’ After Industry-Backed AOB Bill Stalls
Apr 5 2017 // A bill backed by the insurance industry to curb the abuse of Florida’s one-way attorney fee statute in assignment of benefit claims has stalled as lawmakers opted to instead advance what the insurance industry and...
Bills Still Active in Iowa: Medical Malpractice Caps, Limits on 911 Call Access
Apr 4 2017 // Legislation capping recoveries in medical malpractice awards and a bill that would limit public access to 911 call information are still alive the Iowa Legislature. Medical Malpractice Caps The legislation would limit...
As Supreme Court Justice, Gorsuch Could Influence Trump Climate, Deregulation Agenda
Apr 3 2017 // Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee could help decide the fate of his moves to undo climate-related U.S. regulations, but legal experts said Neil Gorsuch’s judicial record makes it hard to predict whether as a...
Judge Allows Defamation Lawsuit by 2 Baseball Players Against Al Jazeera
Apr 3 2017 // A federal judge says two Major League Baseball players can go ahead with their lawsuit on claims that an Al Jazeera documentary defamed them by linking them to performance-enhancing drugs. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled...
Republicans Now Eye Insurer Low-Income Subsidies They Sued to Halt
Apr 3 2017 // Republican lawmakers are seeking a way to guarantee that health insurers get $7 billion promised to them to help low-income people afford the out-of-pocket costs of Obamacare plans, in an effort to keep more companies from...
Declarations
Apr 3 2017 // A Costly Disadvantage “Consumer protection laws need to keep pace with changes in the marketplace. Data mining and information sharing by insurance companies has put consumers at a costly disadvantage that needs to...
Florida Property Insurers Avoid Ratings Downgrades From Demotech, For Now
Apr 3 2017 // Ratings company Demotech is holding off on issuing large-scale ratings downgrades of Florida property insurers for now, after a number of insurers heeded its warning about the effects of assignment of benefits abuse and...
New York’s Cybersecurity Rules: Things Insurance Professionals Should Know
Apr 3 2017 // The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has issued cybersecurity requirements for financial services companies (cyber rules) that went into effect March 1. The cyber rules require insurance and...
11 Suits Over 2010 Flood Tossed by Texarkana Judge
Mar 31 2017 // A Texarkana judge has dismissed 11 civil lawsuits connected to the historic 2010 flood at Albert Pike campgrounds in Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas that took the lives of 20 men, women and children. The 11 lawsuits,...
Insurance Trade Group: Illinois Workers’ Comp Bill Unnecessary, ‘Burdensome’
Mar 30 2017 // A national trade association representing property/casualty insurers has come out against a proposed bill in Illinois that will create what group says are “burdensome and duplicative workers’ compensation...
Texas Businesses Divided on High-Priority Insurance Bill
Mar 30 2017 // This article originally appeared in the Texas Tribune. Weeks after major business interests blasted legislation that would make it harder for property owners to sue insurance companies over weather-related damages, other...
First Domestic Run-Off Insurance Carrier Granted License by Rhode Island
Mar 30 2017 // ProTucket Insurance Company has become the first Rhode Island domestic insurer to be formed specifically for providing run-off portfolio transfer solutions. The move has been made possible under new state legislation which...
Exxon Dealt a Blow as Texas Judge Sends Climate Suit to New York
Mar 30 2017 // Exxon Mobil Corp.’s attempt to derail a multistate fraud probe into whether the company fully disclosed to investors the financial risks of climate change was dealt a major blow after a Texas judge moved the case...
Judge to Hear Objection to Trump University’s $25 Million Settlement
Mar 30 2017 // A U.S. judge will hear arguments on Thursday over whether to grant final approval to a $25 million settlement of fraud lawsuits against President Donald Trump over his Trump University real estate investment seminars, with...
Alaska Workers’ Comp Reform Has Labor, Businesses Disagreeing
Mar 29 2017 // Alaska Gov. Bill Walker is sponsoring workers’ compensation legislation aimed at making it easier to determine whether someone is an employee or an independent contractor. Walker’s bill creates a new definition...
