Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ohio Measure Would Allow Workers’ Comp for Police PTSD
Mar 11 2015 // Ohio’s emergency responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder could be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits even if they don’t have physical injuries under proposed legislation a state...
Low Insurance Penetration Creates Asia-Pacific Opportunities: Aon Benfield
Mar 11 2015 // As rapid economic development, population growth and urbanization lead to increased insurance penetration, Asia Pacific represents a key area of growth in the global marketplace, according to a report published by Aon...
Tennessee Judge: Cap on Personal Injury Damages is Unconstitutional
Mar 11 2015 // A Chattanooga, Tenn., judge has ruled that a state law that caps the amount of money someone can win in a personal injury lawsuit for noneconomic damages is unconstitutional. The Times Free Press reported that on Monday,...
Bipartisan Think Tank to Tackle Insurance Regulation
Mar 11 2015 // Washington is getting a new task force focused on insurance regulation. The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is launching the task force to assess the impact of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act...
North Carolina Judge Grants Class-Action Status to Magistrates’ Pay Lawsuit
Mar 10 2015 // A judge is approving class-action status to a lawsuit saying North Carolina has broken its promise to give magistrates pay raises. Forty magistrates filed the lawsuit last year. But with Superior Court Judge Michael...
Consumer Advocate to Florida Lawmakers: Ridesharing Proposal ‘Hell-on-Wheels’
Mar 10 2015 // The Consumer Federation of the Southeast (CFSE) has warned that consumers will be at significant risk if Florida legislators allow transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft to follow different consumer protection...
U.S. Consumer Bureau Moves to Restrict Mandatory Arbitration Clauses
Mar 10 2015 // Financial companies routinely use mandatory arbitration to block class-action lawsuits, making it difficult for consumers to win big payouts in disputes over credit cards and other products, a U.S. regulator found. When...
Illinois Lawmaker Wants Prison Time for Distracted Drivers in Fatal Crashes
Mar 10 2015 // Fatal crashes caused by illegal cellphone use should carry penalties similar to those imposed on drunk drivers who kill, a suburban lawmaker says. The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports that Rep. Robert Marwick wants...
Jury Verdict Favors Texas Insurer in Hidalgo County Hail Claim Case
Mar 9 2015 // A Texas-based insurance company has prevailed in the first lawsuit to go to trial over claims from two massive hailstorms in Hidalgo County, Texas, in 2012. The 12-member jury in Amaro v. National Lloyds found that...
Texas Lawmaker Files Insurance Department Transparency Bill
Mar 9 2015 // A bill filed by state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, would require the Texas Department of Insurance to post on its website information regarding insurance rates of every residential property and personal auto insurer...
Safety Concerns Block Effort to Raise Interstate Speed Limit in Iowa
Mar 9 2015 // Iowa drivers will stay out of the fast lane for now, after lawmakers did not advance a bill that would have boosted the speed limit on interstate highways, bringing it in line with many nearby states. The bill sought to...
Supreme Court Reopens Notre Dame Bid to Bypass Birth Control Coverage
Mar 9 2015 // The U.S. Supreme Court told a lower court to reconsider whether the University of Notre Dame must comply with Obama administration regulations for the Affordable Care Act that aim to ensure contraceptive coverage for...
Lawmakers Probe FEMA’s Sandy-Related Claims
Mar 9 2015 // U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R., N.J.) on March 2 called for an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after stories surfaced that FEMA was aware of allegedly fraudulent engineering reports that may...
New Drought Rules at Restaurants, Hotels Considered in California
Mar 9 2015 // Officials are considering new water restrictions as California’s drought drags on, possibly forcing residents to ask for water at restaurants and for fresh towels and sheets at hotels. The State Water Resources...
Nevada Bill Proposes Liability Protections for Horse-Related Injuries
Mar 9 2015 // Rural Nevada lawmakers are proposing a bill that would improve liability protections for horse-related accidents and injuries. Sen. Pete Goicoechea and Assemblyman John Ellison introduced SB 129 to the Senate Committee on...
Arizona Court Rules on Travel for Injured Worker Care
Mar 9 2015 // A court ruling says Arizona workers being treated for on-the-job injuries aren’t entitled to travel expenses if they haven’t shown they cannot get necessary care locally. The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in...
Insurance Market Evolves for Drone Pilots Unwilling to Wait on Federal Regulations
Mar 6 2015 // Thousands of drones flown without government approval by real estate companies, movie studios and other businesses are getting coverage by insurers writing their own safety rules to fill a void left by regulators. One...
Road Funding Bill Passed by Texas Senate
Mar 6 2015 // The Texas Senate has approved the first bill of the legislative session, with speedy passage of a plan to shift billions of dollars generated by vehicle sales taxes to building and maintaining roads strained by the...
Texas Businesses Oppose ‘Pro-Discrimination’ Legislation
Mar 6 2015 // Two proposed constitutional amendments that supporters say would protect Texans from government intrusion into their free exercise of religion are meeting resistance from a coalition led by a former adviser to George W....
Arkansas Senate Votes to Delay State Insurance Exchange Plans
Mar 6 2015 // Arkansas lawmakers voted to put the state’s plans to set up its own insurance exchange under the federal health law on hold while the nation’s highest court weighs a legal challenge over tax subsidies granted...