Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Insurance Industry Welcomes Terrorism Bill But Not Co-Pay Hike

Apr 15 2014 // Insurance industry lobbying groups are hopeful that the bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate on April 10 to reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, or TRIA, will have a better chance for passage than some...

Rideshare Companies Object to Seattle Regulations

Apr 14 2014 // Rideshare companies Uber and Lyft are leading a campaign to undo new regulations adopted by the Seattle City Council. The rules require them to meet to meet the same safety and insurance requirements as taxi companies....

Ridesharing Bill with Insurance Component OK’d by Illinois House

Apr 14 2014 // Legislation creating rules for unregulated rideshare companies such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar is moving through the Illinois Legislature. House lawmakers voted to put regulations on commercial ridesharing with an 80-26...

N.Y. Lawmakers Examining Auto Insurance Costs, Rate Factors

Apr 14 2014 // Auto insurers use many factors, including a motorist’s education and occupation, to accurately gauge their risk, industry representatives told state lawmakers on April 10, a week after a consumer advocacy group...

Massachusetts Judge Criticizes AIG in $7M Decision

Apr 14 2014 // A Massachusetts judge has ordered AIG Inc. to pay at least $7 million to a Wellesley, Mass., man injured after he was struck by a bus in a scathing decision that accuses the insurer of hiding evidence and manipulating...

Republicans to Use Burwell HHS Hearings to Question Affordable Care Act

Apr 14 2014 // Republican lawmakers said hearings on Sylvia Mathews Burwell’s nomination as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary provide a fresh opening to raise questions about President Barack Obama’s health-care...

Independent Insurance Agents Find Some Pundits, Politicians in Washington Agree

Apr 13 2014 // News flash: a conservative and a liberal in Washington agree — on quite a few matters, in fact. Before an audience of independent insurance agents last Friday, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and liberal...

Florida Legislators Look to Expand, Regulate Telemedicine

Apr 11 2014 // The calls may come in the middle of the night and from hospitals more than an hour away. Someone is having a stroke and is en route an emergency room in the Florida Keys, but there aren’t any neurologists on...

N.Y. Aims to Improve Patient Handling, Protect Hospital Staffs From Injuries

Apr 11 2014 // New York is directing health officials and hospitals to identify best practices for safely handling patients in an effort to reduce rough lifting and better protect staff from back injuries. State legislation proposed by...

Committee OKs Colorado Bill to Regulate Ridesharing Companies

Apr 11 2014 // Colorado lawmakers advanced legislation to regulate transportation companies that use cellphone apps to connect riders to drivers on their personal cars. The legislation would put companies like UberX and Lyft under the...

Aon’s New Political Risk Map Highlights ‘BRICS’ Increased Risks

Apr 11 2014 // Aon Risk Solutions, the global risk management business of Aon plc, has unveiled its 2014 Political Risk Map, which identifies an increased risk rating for all five emerging market BRICS countries. Aon noted that “as...

Senators Announce Bipartisan Bill to Reauthorize Terrorism Insurance

Apr 10 2014 // A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has agreed on legislation to extend the government’s financial backstop of terrorism insurance for seven years. The legislation would raise private insurers’ co-payments to...

Judge’s Order Allows Headlight-Flashing in Missouri County

Apr 10 2014 // A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction prohibiting a St. Louis County town from ticketing drivers for flashing their headlights to warn other drivers that police are nearby. U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey...

Montana’s Sen. Tester Awarded Big ‘I’s’ Legislator of the Year 2013

Apr 10 2014 // U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) has been named the Gerald Solomon-IIABA Legislator of the Year for 2013 by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”). The award was presented Tuesday...

European Insurers Shifting Investments Into Loan Market, Acting Like Banks: Moody’s

Apr 9 2014 // European insurers such as Allianz SE and Axa SA are shifting investments into the loan market, taking business from banks that are being forced to increase capital and meet tougher regulations, Moody’s Investors...

Judge Orders 8 Year Sentence for Arson at San Antonio Denny’s

Apr 9 2014 // A man who complained about alleged slow service at a Denny’s in South Texas must serve eight years in prison for starting the restaurant’s Christmas tree on fire. The San Antonio Express-News reports a judge...

Prisoner Entitled to Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Mississippi High Court Rules

Apr 8 2014 // A former utility worker who lost his hands when he was shocked by power lines can receive workers’ compensation, even though officials argued he tried to hurt himself to avoid a homicide investigation, the...

Judge Awards Utah Woman $250K In Dog Bite Suit

Apr 8 2014 // A judge has ruled in favor of an Ogden, Utah woman in a lawsuit over a severe dog bite. Second District Judge Mike DiReda found that Sara Loving was owed $250,000 in damages from defendants James and Cindy Davis for...

Florida Lawmakers Eye Regulations for Unlicensed Health Clinics

Apr 8 2014 // There is one simple way for a Florida medical clinic to avoid being licensed and undergoing an annual inspection: Don’t accept insurance. A bill moving through the Legislature would close that loophole for so-called...

China Relaxation of Insurance M&A Rules Could Invite More Global Firms

Apr 8 2014 // China’s decision to partially relax mergers and acquisition rules in the insurance industry could see global insurance firms expand their footprint in the $288 billion market. Beijing would allow insurers, including...