Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
For Safety Advocates, GM Recall Highlights Cuts in Government Investigations
Mar 26 2014 // The U.S. office responsible for monitoring safety defects in cars has had its budget stagnate and its staff cut by one-fifth from highs more than a decade ago, when Congress tried to strengthen it. While no one has...
With Fix for Flood Insurance Program Deficit Delayed, Now What?
Mar 26 2014 // There’s no easy fix for the National Flood Insurance Program, now drowning in a $24 billion sea of red ink. But experts and advocates say Congress does have some options that could make the troubled program...
Florida Lawmaker Targets Cash-Only Medical Clinics
Mar 26 2014 // Cash-only medical clinics are allowed to skirt the licensing and regulation most other clinics are subject to, a loophole that a Florida lawmaker contends allows some of them to dispense drugs illicitly. State Sen. Eleanor...
N.J. Regulators Recovered $21M for Consumers, Health Care Providers in 2013
Mar 25 2014 // New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Ken Kobylowski announced last week that his department recovered nearly $21 million for consumers and health care providers, including nearly $7 million for...
Massachusetts Lawmakers Seek to Ease Federal Flood Insurance Rules
Mar 25 2014 // When Mitch Haddad and his brother began rebuilding their family’s oceanside restaurant in Marshfield, Massachusetts, they decided to take no chances. The restaurant, which had been in the family for more than 70...
Florida Legislature Seeks to Entice Private Insurers to Sell Flood Policies
Mar 24 2014 // The Florida Legislature is moving forward on a plan to entice private insurance companies to sell flood policies in the state that’s the most vulnerable to storm surge. It’s not clear, though, that many private...
President Obama Signs Flood Insurance Relief Bill
Mar 24 2014 // Homeowners living in flood-prone areas are getting relief from big spikes in insurance costs under legislation President Barack Obama signed into law last Friday. Lawmakers from both parties supported the measure in...
Technical and Medical Device Convergence Exposes New World of Risks
Mar 24 2014 // When the acclaimed television drama series Homeland climaxed with a devious plot by terrorists to kill America’s vice-president by hacking into his electronic pacemaker, critics mocked the ludicrousness of the idea...
Oklahoma Supreme Court Upholds CompSource Conversion
Mar 24 2014 // The Oklahoma Supreme Court has upheld a plan to convert the state-backed workers’ compensation insurance provider into a mutual company. The decision affirms legislation adopted last year to convert CompSource...
Insurers to Illinois Lawmakers: Regulate Rideshare Operations
Mar 24 2014 // Two of the nation’s largest property/casualty insurer trade associations have weighed in with Illinois lawmakers on the subject of insurance coverage for commercial rideshare companies, saying such companies should...
Top 10 HOT Markets to Watch
Mar 24 2014 // Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes and expansions in the past year. Here are the top 10 market sectors that just might deliver hot opportunities for agents and brokers in the property/casualty...
TNCs, Insurers Square Off at California Hearing
Mar 21 2014 // Update: California Commissioner Dave Jones made his initial recommendations on insurance issues and transportation network companies. Update: Excess and surplus carrier James River Insurance Co. said it’s not leaving...
Missouri Governor Signs Chemotherapy Equity Bill
Mar 21 2014 // Missouri cancer patients could soon find it more affordable to take chemotherapy pills under legislation signed by Gov. Jay Nixon. Starting in January, patients could not be charged more than $75 for a 30-day supply of...
Md. Legislation to Require Roadside Zoos to Carry $1M Liability Coverage
Mar 21 2014 // Both houses of the Maryland General Assembly have passed bills to stiffen requirements for roadside zoos without requiring them to be accredited or meet certain safety and animal-care standards. The Frederick News-Post...
Global Insurance Organization’s G-20 Delegates Stress Social, Economic Role
Mar 21 2014 // In a series of meetings this week with the Australian G-20 Presidency, the Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA) has called on the G-20 to “ensure that all international regulatory reform initiatives...
Judge Judy Files Suit Against Connecticut Lawyer, Seeks $75K in Damages
Mar 19 2014 // Television’s Judge Judy filed a lawsuit last week against a Connecticut personal-injury lawyer, alleging that he used her image without authorization in advertisements that falsely suggested she had endorsed his...
Oklahoma Court Rules for Whataburger in Hot Gravy Lawsuit
Mar 19 2014 // An Oklahoma appeals court has ruled a mother is not entitled to recover any damages after her 7-year-old daughter spilled hot gravy on her leg after buying a meal from a fast food restaurant’s drive-through...
Seattle To Regulate Rideshare Companies
Mar 19 2014 // See related story: Uber Announces New Policy to Cover Gap The Seattle City Council passed a measure Monday that puts some regulations on rideshare companies that use smartphone apps to connect passengers with rides from...
Mississippi Enacts First Statewide Building Code Law
Mar 19 2014 // Mississippi has enacted its first statewide building code that is designed to set construction guidelines to strengthen homes and other buildings from hurricane and other weather-related damage. Governor Phil Bryant signed...
Google Escapes Privacy Class Action with Judge’s Ruling
Mar 19 2014 // Google Inc. won a significant legal victory as a U.S. judge decided not to combine several lawsuits that accuse the Internet search company of violating the privacy rights of hundreds of millions of email users into a...
