Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Protections Sought by Nannies, Other Massachusetts Domestic Workers
Nov 13 2013 // Nannies and other domestic employees in Massaschusetts who say they are often forced to put in long hours without the same legal protections as other workers asked the state lawmakers to approve a bill of rights that would...
California Lawmaker Removed from Committees Amid FBI Probe
Nov 13 2013 // California State Sen. Ron Calderon was stripped of his committee assignments Tuesday amid a federal investigation involving allegations that he accepted money in return for promoting certain bills. The Senate Rules...
Clinton, Democrats Pressure White House to Amend Healthcare Law
Nov 13 2013 // The growing pressure on President Barack Obama to adjust his problem-plagued healthcare law seemed to boil over on Tuesday, as leaders of Obama’s Democratic Party called on him to allow a change in the law so that...
Europe Appears Close to Agreement on Solvency II Insurance Rules
Nov 12 2013 // Europe may be nearing an agreement on rules that aim to make insurance companies safer after 13 years of wrangling between politicians, companies and regulators. Insurers and European Union officials are working out a...
Report Calls for Prior Approval for All States
Nov 12 2013 // Holding automobile insurance regulation in California as an example, the Consumer Federation of America issued a report on Tuesday showing that auto insurance expenditures in America rose by 43 percent on average over the...
Food Stamp Gridlock Hurting Chance of Congress Passing Farm, Crop Insurance Bill
Nov 12 2013 // The chances of the U.S. Congress passing a five-year farm bill by year’s end are a little better than 50/50 given the gridlock over food stamps for the poor, a top farm policy expert said on Monday. “There is a...
New UK Financial Watchdogs Face Surge in Staff Turnover: Reuters
Nov 12 2013 // Staff have been quitting Britain’s financial watchdogs at nearly twice the rate since they were split into two bodies this year, data seen by Reuters shows, at a time when experts warn of a regulatory brain drain in...
Judge: New York City Doesn’t Protect Disabled in Emergencies
Nov 11 2013 // A judge cited disabled Superstorm Sandy victims stranded in high-rise towers to illustrate his conclusion that New York City violated laws designed to protect the disabled — about 11 percent of the city’s more...
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Upper Big Branch Mine Setttlement Payouts
Nov 11 2013 // A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by relatives of three men killed in the Upper Big Branch mine disaster who claimed that Alpha Natural Resources failed to pay them each $1.5 million as promised under a settlement...
Alabama Oil Train Derailment Raises New Crude-by-Rail Safety Questions
Nov 11 2013 // The second explosive oil-train derailment this year, which has finally burned out in rural Alabama, may raise new questions about the safety of the crude-by-rail boom, pointing to problems beyond those that surfaced...
Oil Tank Train Derails in Alabama; Cars Erupt in Flames
Nov 10 2013 // Several oil tank cars that burst into flames after a train derailed in rural Alabama were expected to keep burning into Saturday, potentially reigniting the push for tougher regulation of the boom in moving oil by...
New Deputy Insurance Commissioners Appointed in Louisiana
Nov 8 2013 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon announced that Executive Counsel Warren Byrd has been appointed to the position of deputy commissioner of the Office of Property and Casualty in the Louisiana Department of...
Oklahoma Lawmaker to Re-File Earthquake Insurance Bill
Nov 8 2013 // Following a rash of earthquakes, a state lawmaker says he plans to file a bill to require insurance companies to notify Oklahomans whether their policies cover property damage caused by earthquakes. Rep. Mike Shelton of...
Colorado Lawmakers Reviewing Flood Response
Nov 7 2013 // Colorado lawmakers are studying responses to September’s catastrophic floods. A special state legislative panel held its first meeting Tuesday. Members are looking at whether there’s a need for legislation to...
Senate Expected to Pass Gay Workplace Rights Bill Opposed by House
Nov 7 2013 // Most employers would be banned from firing, demoting or refusing to hire workers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity under legislation in line for action today in the U.S. Senate. The measure, known as...
Florida Lawmakers Re-examine PIP Law in Light of Court Ruling
Nov 6 2013 // Florida lawmakers are taking another hard look at the future of the state’s no-fault automobile insurance law in light of a circuit court ruling that left opened the door to legal challenges over the...
Judge Dismisses Suit Against Bank of America For Not Disclosing AIG Claims
Nov 4 2013 // Bank of America Corp. has won the dismissal of an unusual lawsuit in which shareholders accused it of concealing a $10 billion fraud case brought by American International Group Inc. In a decision made public on Monday,...
Miller: Florida Insurers Assume Liability in Agent Appointments, Licensing Verification
Nov 4 2013 // The agent appointment process is not as simple as some think. Insurers that are not careful could find they are in legal trouble. As in so many other areas of insurer operations, due diligence is required in the handling...
Technology Spurs Industry, Government Modernization
Nov 4 2013 // Technological innovations are revolutionizing how businesses and consumers operate — prompting quick action from the insurance industry and the government to enable people to adopt and embrace this rapidly emerging...
Arkansas Judge OKs Class-Action Status in Marlboro Lights Suit
Nov 4 2013 // A judge in Arkansas has granted class-action status to a lawsuit that claims Philip Morris USA deliberately exaggerated the safety of its Marlboro Lights cigarettes. Attorneys for Philip Morris had argued that any lawsuits...
