Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Trump Halts Fiduciary Rule Opposed by Financial Advisors; Orders Dodd-Frank Review

Feb 6 2017 // President Donald Trump will order a sweeping review of the Dodd-Frank Act rules enacted in response to the 2008 financial crisis, a White House official said, signing an executive action Friday designed to significantly...

Massachusetts Court Reminds Auto Insurers of Importance of Retail Book Value

Feb 6 2017 // A Massachusetts appeals court used a recent case to warn auto insurers about the importance of taking retail book value into consideration early in the settlement process. While the court ruled in favor of defendant...

Judge Dismisses Snapchat from Georgia Distracted Driver Crash Claim

Feb 6 2017 // A Georgia judge dismissed claims against Snapchat that blamed the social media company’s “speed filter” for a highway crash. The judge said in the January ruling that the Communications Decency Act...

P/C Insurance Execs Foresee Commercial Lines Growth, Led by Cyber, Outpacing Personal Lines

Feb 6 2017 // Leaders of the property/casualty (P/C) insurance industry expect to see a considerable increase in the commercial lines of insurance for 2017, with cyber leading the way as a huge untapped market, according to an Industry...

Minding Your Business: Trends to Exploit in 2017

Feb 6 2017 // It is a new era for our country, with President Donald Trump coming into power with the theme to “Make America Great Again.” Perhaps it is also the time to do the same for agency planning. Are there things in...

Report: Self-Driving Prototypes Getting Better at Navigating California Streets

Feb 3 2017 // Self-driving car prototypes appear to be getting better at negotiating California streets and highways without a human backup driver intervening, according to data made public by California transportation regulators. The...

Report: Many Iowa Lawmakers Underpay for Health Insurance

Feb 3 2017 // An analysis by The Des Moines Register shows more than two-thirds of Iowa legislators are paying hundreds of dollars less a month than appropriate for their health insurance, a potential violation of state law. Data...

Texas Governor Calls for Legislation to Rein in Hailstorm Litigation

Feb 2 2017 // In his state of the state address, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave a boost to the insurance industry’s effort to get legislation passed that would place limits on post-hailstorm litigation. Calling lawsuits against...

Swiss Re & SAP Partner to Develop Financial Steering & Reporting Solution

Feb 2 2017 // Swiss Re has formed a strategic partnership with SAP SE, the enterprise application software company, to develop a solution to address the increasingly complex demands of global regulators, in the areas of financial...

Coalition Urges Modernization of National Flood Insurance Program

Feb 1 2017 // A U.S. flood insurance program that is drowning in billions of dollars in debt can be modernized to bolster its finances while curbing the public’s exposure to flood risks, a national coalition said in a reform...

California High Court Gives Insurance Commissioner Vast New Powers

Feb 1 2017 // President Donald Trump’s spate of executive orders has jump-started a national debate about the wisdom of executive edicts, especially those that stray into the area of lawmaking. While presidential orders grab the...

U.S. Drone Rules Face Further Delay Over Security, Deregulation Issues

Feb 1 2017 // A long-awaited framework for allowing drone flights over people — a key step in the growth of the industry — has been put on hold because of security concerns, prompting fears that the standards will get caught...

Building of $7B Legal Pot Economy Underway in California

Jan 31 2017 // The future of California’s legal marijuana industry is being shaped in a warren of cubicles tucked inside a retired basketball arena, where a garden of paper cannabis leaves sprouts on file cabinets and a burlap sack...

Trump’s ‘2-for-1’ Deregulation Scheme Easier Said Than Done

Jan 31 2017 // President Donald Trump set a daunting goal for government agencies bound by complex procedures, ordering his department heads to kill two regulations for each new one they issue. The two-for-one order is “a big...

Gun-Toting New Hampshire Lawmakers Not Required to Take Safety Classes

Jan 31 2017 // A proposal to require firearm safety training for New Hampshire lawmakers wishing to carry guns on the House floor has been defeated. Democratic Minority Leader Steve Shurtleff proposed the rule Thursday after a...

New Lawsuit Against Baylor University Alleges 52 Rapes over 4 Years

Jan 30 2017 // A former Baylor University student who says she was raped by two football players filed a federal lawsuit on Jan. 27 against the school that alleges there were dozens more assaults of women involving other players. The...

Connecticut Lawmakers Consider Higher Fines for Distracted Driving

Jan 30 2017 // Some Connecticut lawmakers want to make it tougher for distracted drivers. The General Assembly’s Transportation Committee is holding a public hearing today on several bills that would increase penalties for texting...

How State Insurance Regulators May Help Insurers Innovate

Jan 30 2017 // Three days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump last week, a panel of experts on insurance regulation predicted that state and federal regulators of the financial services sector would refocus their efforts in...

Oklahoma Lawmaker: Uniform Building Code Commission Staff Unnecessary

Jan 27 2017 // State Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, announced he has filed a measure that would fold the state building code commission into the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB). House Bill 1168 would place the Oklahoma Uniform...

California Judge Denies State Farm’s Request to Delay Rate Reduction Order

Jan 27 2017 // Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal has denied State Farm’s request for a temporary restraining order in an attempt to delay California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones’ enforcement of his order directing the...