Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
The Changing Surplus Lines Landscape
Jan 25 2016 // The changing excess and surplus insurance landscape was an oft discussed topic at a recent California meeting, with experts describing the challenges and opportunities going forward. “The business that we have and...
Maryland AG, Lawmakers Look to Improve Structured Settlement Law
Jan 22 2016 // Maryland’s attorney general and lawmakers are looking at ways to protect the public from bad deals offered by businesses that have bought legal settlements from lead poisoning victims, such as Baltimore’s...
Judge Hits Plaintffs’ Lawyers in GM Ignition Switch Trial
Jan 22 2016 // General Motors Co. got a boost in the first trial over a deadly ignition-switch defect as a judge slammed plaintiffs’ lawyers for failing to vet their client, an Oklahoma mail carrier accused by the carmaker of lying...
Why Regulation Is Good for Driverless Cars
Jan 21 2016 // You don’t often hear a libertarian praising a federal regulator when it starts offering “guidance” and “coordination” for some innovative industry. Well, mark your calendars, folks, because...
XL Catlin Applies for License to Open Reinsurance Branch in India
Jan 21 2016 // XL Catlin announced it has begun the licensing process to establish a reinsurance branch in India. The decision to pursue market entry into India aligns with XL Catlin’s strategy of establishing a presence in...
Alabama Debates Banning Criminal History on Job Applications
Jan 21 2016 // As policies that limit when employers may ask applicants about their criminal histories gain popularity nationwide, advocates are pushing similar measures in Alabama, which has one of the highest incarceration rates in the...
Brian Maynard Appointed Insurance Commissioner of Kentucky
Jan 20 2016 // Brian Maynard Brian Maynard of Louisville was appointed commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Insurance on Jan. 12. He takes over for Sharon P. Clark, who had been in the position since first being appointed in...
Supreme Court Rules Monetary Offer Doesn’t End Class Action
Jan 20 2016 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against advertising firm Campbell-Ewald in a class action case, saying the lawsuit can proceed over claims the company violated a federal consumer law by sending unsolicited text...
When Are Employee Wellness Programs No Longer Voluntary?
Jan 20 2016 // Dale Arnold, who worked for Wisconsin plastics maker Flambeau, chose not to take his work-sponsored health assessment and biometric screening. The company responded by pulling his insurance coverage. Like many employers,...
Washington Refinery Fined Nearly $325K for Workplace Violations
Jan 19 2016 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries has fined Phillips 66 Refinery $324,000 for failing to correct serious workplace safety and health violations. An L&I inspection of the Ferndale facility found...
Drone Viewpoint: Let U.S. Protect Airspace, While States Protect Privacy
Jan 19 2016 // In October, a Kentucky judge dismissed criminal charges against a man who had shot down a drone flying over his property. Now the drone’s owner has brought a federal civil suit against the shooter, William Merideth,...
Hundreds of Oklahomans Turn Out for Earthquake Hearing
Jan 19 2016 // Oklahoma residents concerned with a dramatic increase in the number of earthquakes called for more regulations on the oil and gas industry on Jan. 15 and urged state leaders to take action to stop the quakes. About 200...
U.S. to Ease Safety Rules to Accelerate Driverless Cars
Jan 15 2016 // f- Self-driving cars will get closer to appearing on American roads under a U.S. Transportation Department plan to speed their rollout. Regulators will allow automakers that can demonstrate they have a safe autonomous...
The Struggle Getting U.S. Regulators to Understand Insurance
Jan 15 2016 // The designation of MetLife as a systemically important financial institution by the Financial Stability Oversight Council is a done deal. But exactly what that means in terms of higher regulatory standards is still not...
New Ohio Law Strengthens Certificate of Insurance Regulation
Jan 14 2016 // A new Ohio law that provides strengthened regulatory protocols and oversight in relation to certificates of insurance is now in effect. Businesses often share the document as proof that they have insurance. House Bill 259...
Judge OKs Duke Energy Environmental Compliance Plan in North Carolina
Jan 14 2016 // A federal judge is approving two Duke Energy plans describing how the country’s largest electricity company says it will comply with environmental laws. The statewide and nationwide environmental compliance plans...
60% of P/C Execs See 2016 Much Like 2015; 55% Expect Democrat to Win White House
Jan 13 2016 // Leaders of the property/casualty insurance industry expect 2016 to be a profitable year much like 2015 but do not see any increase in profitability this year for most lines of insurance, and they do not expect the economy...
A.M. Best Restructuring Separates Ratings Services from Publications
Jan 13 2016 // Citing increased regulation of credit rating services and heightened competition in information services, A.M. Best has restructured its operations to separate its rating and research services from its publications and...
Expert Sounds off on Legal, Insurance Issues of Self-driving Cars
Jan 12 2016 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv Editor’s note: To hear the full interview click on the podcast above or visit www.insuarncejournal.tv. Hilary Rowen, a partner in the law firm of Sedgwick LLP in Sacramento, Calif., for...
Obama Nominates 4 to NARAB National Producer Licensing Governing Board
Jan 12 2016 // President Barack Obama has nominated four individuals to sit on the 13-member governing board of a new national insurance producer licensing system. They are state insurance regulators from South Carolina and Minnesota and...
