Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texting While Driving Ban Goal of South Dakota Lawmaker
Jan 22 2014 // A South Dakota lawmaker plans to press “send” again and try to persuade his colleagues in the Legislature to join 41 other states and ban texting while driving. Similar measure have failed in recent legislative...
West Virginia Politicians Call for State, Federal Regulation of Chemicals
Jan 22 2014 // West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin this week proposed tighter regulations for chemical storage facilities after a spill contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people. Tomblin, the Democratic...
New Federal Safety Rules Target Bus, Truck Firms with Repeat Violations
Jan 22 2014 // Intercity bus and truck companies with a continuing history of safety problems will be easier to shut down under regulations published online last Friday by the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, an agency under fire...
Enforcement of Obamacare Executive Benefits Rule Delayed: Report
Jan 22 2014 // The Obama administration is delaying enforcement of a provision of the new healthcare law that prohibits employers from providing better health benefits to top executives than to other employees, the New York Times...
Senate Links Agent Licensing Reform with Flood Insurance Delay
Jan 21 2014 // There is a new political wrinkle in the attempt to stave off flood insurance rate hikes across the country. The Senate has attached an industry-supported bill to streamline agent and broker licensing to its bill to delay...
Arkansas Lawmaker Applies to Run State Insurance Exchange
Jan 17 2014 // The Arkansas lawmaker who sponsored the law creating the Health Insurance Marketplace Board has applied to serve as the marketplace’s executive director. Rep. Mark Biviano, R-Searcy, is one of two applicants...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Files Bill to Fund School Storm Shelters
Jan 17 2014 // An Oklahoma lawmaker has filed legislation that would ask voters to decide whether to fund storm shelters in public schools. The measure was filed by Rep. Joe Dorman of Rush Springs, a Democratic candidate for governor. It...
Florida Bill Would Restrict Insurers in Underwriting Gun Owners
Jan 17 2014 // Florida lawmakers say they want to protect policyholders’ second amendment rights to bear firearms by preventing insurers from issuing, renewing or canceling a policy based on whether the policyholder possesses a...
Ex-Treasury Official Wolin Urges Federal, State Collaboration to Improve Regulation
Jan 17 2014 // To make continued improvements in the U.S. insurance regulatory system, it’s imperative for state and federal officials to work collaboratively and share information and perspectives, said former Deputy Treasury...
Autonomous Vehicle Testing Regulations for California Coming Soon
Jan 16 2014 // If you think Google when you think about autonomous vehicles driving the streets, you’re leaving out the rest of the players in what some see as the future of the auto industry. If fact, there are enough players in...
Congressional Negotiations on Farm Bill Said Close to Deal
Jan 16 2014 // Negotiations in Congress on the long overdue U.S. farm bill could be completed this week after progress was stalled by a disagreement over a dairy price support program, a senator said on Wednesday. The five-year farm...
Senate Re-Election Politics Boosts Flood Insurance Delay Proposals
Jan 16 2014 // Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will do just about anything to help Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu. He arranged the chamber’s floor agenda this week so Landrieu could lead debate on a flood insurance rate reprieve...
Credit Card Breach Update: Neiman Marcus Investigated; Target Sued by Bank
Jan 15 2014 // Neiman Marcus Group Ltd. is being investigated by states including Connecticut and Illinois over the theft of customer credit-card data by hackers, and a bank sued Target Corp. for its data breach during the holiday...
Judge Delays NFL’s $914M Concussion Settlement
Jan 15 2014 // National Football League’s $914 million settlement of claims tied to player concussions was denied preliminary approval by a federal judge who said she is concerned that not all players will be paid. U.S. District...
Calls for Tougher Chemical Regulation Follow West Virginia Spill
Jan 14 2014 // A chemical spill that left 300,000 people in West Virginia unable to drink their water is reviving calls for more stringent regulation of thousands of chemical storage sites in the U.S., especially those near water...
N.H. Court Upholds Local Government Center Repayment Decision
Jan 13 2014 // The New Hampshire Supreme Court has upheld an order for the Local Government Center to return $33 million in surplus risk-pool funds to participating cities and towns and restore $17 million it transferred out of its...
Walker Named North Carolina Captive Insurance Director
Jan 13 2014 // North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has named Debbie Walker as director of captive insurance for the state. As head of the insurance department’s new captive insurance section, Walker will be...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants Church Shelters Protected from Liability Lawsuits
Jan 13 2014 // An Oklahoma legislator is proposing a measure that would protect churches from lawsuits if someone is injured when they open their doors as disaster shelters. On Friday, state Rep. Bobby Cleveland of Slaughterville...
Florida Panel Takes First Step To Creating Private Flood Market
Jan 13 2014 // With thousands of Florida residents facing dramatic increases in their flood insurance premiums, state lawmakers are preparing the groundwork for a private market option to premiums charged by the federal flood insurance...
Policing the ‘Dark Side’ of Internet of Things
Jan 13 2014 // The futuristic world of self-driving cars, eyeglasses that e-mail and trash cans that call for pickup is running into the old-fashioned pace of doing business in Washington. Companies from Google Inc. to Bayerische Motoren...
