Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Vermont to Become 1st State Requiring Drug Makers to Explain Price Hikes
May 16 2016 // Vermont is poised to become the first state requiring drug companies to explain their price increases, and Bob and Deborah Messing think that’s a good idea. The Messings live in Montpelier and are in their early 70s....
China Seeks Help from UK on Its Plans to Create Financial Super-Regulator
May 16 2016 // China has asked Britain for advice on plans to create a financial super-regulator, as it looks to improve financial oversight following last year’s stock market crash, sources with knowledge of the talks told...
Global, Diversified Multiline Insurers Best Placed to Withstand Challenges: S&P
May 13 2016 // Global, diversified insurers are best positioned to withstand the industry’s top economic and competitive challenges, according to a report published by Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings. Geographic and...
House Approves Louisiana Medical Marijuana Program Expansion
May 13 2016 // Medical marijuana advocates have won a significant victory in their efforts to jumpstart Louisiana’s medical marijuana program. The House voted 62-31 to expand the program to cover more diseases and to make...
Blankenship Headed to Jail After Judge Denies Appeal Request
May 13 2016 // Former Massey Energy CEO Donald Blankenship is headed to prison even as he appeals his conviction for conspiring to flout mine-safety laws in connection with the worst U.S. coal industry disaster in almost 40 years. The...
Arizona Governor Signs Legislation to Enforce Statewide Rules on Drones
May 13 2016 // Cities and towns will be barred from making their own rules regulating drone use under legislation signed this week by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey that was designed to prevent a patchwork of regulations that would make it...
Uber Tells Judge Not to Trust Cab Companies in Battle Over Safety
May 13 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. fired back at taxi operators accusing it of lying about superior safety, telling a judge the cab companies “fabricated” a customer endorsement with a photo of MySpace’s co-founder...
U.S. Judge Nixes Obamacare Funds to Insurers for Lower Income Insureds; Administration to Appeal
May 12 2016 // A U.S. judge on Thursday handed a victory to congressional Republicans who challenged President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, ruling that his administration overstepped its constitutional powers relating...
Pennsylvania Federal Judge Dismisses Parks Lawsuit Against Tyson Foods
May 12 2016 // This lawsuit over hot dogs failed to cut the mustard. A federal judge threw out a lawsuit accusing Tyson Foods Inc and its Hillshire Brands unit of infringing a trademark belonging to the maker of Parks’ sausages...
Why Independent Agents Went to Capitol Hill to Lobby
May 12 2016 // Independent insurance agents and brokers from all 50 states convened in Washington, D.C., last month for the Big “I” Legislative Conference. Our members met with almost every U.S. Senate and House office to...
Background Checks For Uber, Lyft Drivers Established in Iowa
May 11 2016 // Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a bill into law that creates new statewide rules for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Uber to do business in Iowa. Branstad signed the bill this week following approval this...
North Carolina Supreme Court Rules Law Violates Rights of Veteran Teachers
May 11 2016 // North Carolina’s Supreme Court says state lawmakers violated the constitutional rights of veteran teachers by taking away job protections they’d already earned. The state’s high court ruled unanimously...
World Drone Business to Grow More Than 6000% by 2020 in $127B Market: PwC
May 10 2016 // Drones will soon be boosting crop yields, verifying insurance claims, and assisting in future Hollywood blockbusters in a business that’s due to boom by more than 6,000 percent by the end of the decade. The global...
New York Regulator Approves New Virtual Currency Exchange
May 10 2016 // New York state has approved regulations allowing a new virtual currency called Ether. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, and the state’s Department of Financial Services announced the move on May 5. The regulations will...
Voters in Texas Capital Keep Fingerprinting for Rideshare Drivers
May 10 2016 // Fingerprinting drivers for ride-hailing companies must continue in Texas’ capital city after voters rejected a $9 million campaign by Uber and Lyft to overturn the safety measure. Both Uber and Lyft threatened to...
Comcast Settles Over Late Founder’s Insurance
May 10 2016 // Comcast Corp. paid $490 million this year to unwind obligations under life insurance policies tied to late founder Ralph Roberts and his wife Suzanne, a remnant of an era when generous executive perks received less...
Taking Stock of D&O Insurance Market: Capacity, Coverage and Culpability
May 10 2016 // The directors and officers (D&O) liability marketplace continues to find softening rates and intense competition especially in excess layers, according to industry executives. The industry is also seeing a continuing...
Pennsylvania Officials: $11M Fine Against Uber Could Stunt Tech Growth
May 9 2016 // Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Pittsburgh-area officials want the state’s regulators to greatly reduce their record-setting $11.4 million fine against ride-sharing company Uber. The Public Utility Commission fined...
FAA Creates Drone Advisory Panel, Lifts Barrier to Education
May 9 2016 // The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is establishing a broad-based advisory committee to provide advice on key unmanned aircraft integration issues. Also, under a new policy, the agency will also make it easier for...
Cigna Cautions That Anthem Merger May Not Happen in 2016
May 9 2016 // Cigna Corp.’s acquisition by health insurance rival Anthem Inc. may not be approved this year, Cigna said Friday in a regulatory filing. Shares of both companies declined. An analyst said the delay could be a sign of...
