Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Calif. Auto Insurance Down over Quarter-Century, Groups Debate Why
Jun 14 2013 // The average California auto insurance expenditure fell from 1989 to 2010, while every other state in the nation saw substantial increases over that same period, according to a Consumer Federation of America analysis auto...
Tennessee Tightens Regulations on Compounding Pharmacies
Jun 14 2013 // The Tennessee Board of Pharmacy said it has adopted new regulations for compounding pharmacies licensed by the state following recent outbreaks of illnesses associated with tainted medicines created at these specialty...
PCI States Position on International Regulatory Standards after House Hearing
Jun 14 2013 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) issued a statement following the conclusion of Wednesday’s hearings by the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance hearing entitled...
Mass. DOI Proposes Regulation on Auto Glass Repair Steering; Hearing Scheduled
Jun 13 2013 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance said it will hold a public hearing on June 28 regarding the proposed new regulation 211 CMR 135.00, “Requirements Regarding Referrals to Motor Vehicle Glass Repair...
Judge Upholds $23M Award in California Bed Sore Death
Jun 13 2013 // A Sacramento judge has upheld a $23 million jury award over the bed sore death of a woman at a Northern California assisted living facility. The Sacramento Bee reported the judge on Monday also awarded $4.3 million in...
Chemical Shippers Lose Court Bid to Derail Train Safety Technology
Jun 13 2013 // Chemical shippers failed to show any business harm from a regulation requiring railroads to deploy new train-safety technology, a U.S. appeals court said, throwing out a lawsuit challenging the 2012 rule. The Arlington,...
The Myopia of Insurance Regulation
Jun 12 2013 // Mary Williams Walsh of The New York Times‘ DealBook blog has an interesting post today on New York regulators’ expansive investigation of captive reinsurance transactions by life insurers, and the extent to...
N.Y. Says Life Insurers’ Use of ‘Shadow Insurance’ Could Hurt Policyholders
Jun 12 2013 // New York State’s financial regulators issued a report today that found a widespread use of captive, reinsurance entities by New York-based life insurance companies. Calling these arrangements “shadow...
Federal Insurance Regulator Releases Annual Report
Jun 12 2013 // The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office (FIO) today released its annual report on the insurance industry to the President and Congress. Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer...
5 Considered For New Mexico Insurance Regulator Post
Jun 11 2013 // Five government, insurance and health care officials are in the running to manage New Mexico’s newly independent insurance regulatory agency. Among the candidates are state Insurance Superintendent John Franchini and...
Mines Associated with Kentucky Lawmaker Cited for Safety Violations
Jun 11 2013 // An influential eastern Kentucky legislator owns the permits on Pike County coal mines that have repeatedly been cited by the state for safety and environmental violations. Rep. Keith Hall’s Beech Creek Coal Co. and...
Senate Passes Crop Insurance Bill; House Fight Over Food Stamps Next
Jun 10 2013 // The Democratic-run U.S. Senate passed a $500 billion, five-year farm bill on Monday that expands a taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance program and rejects sweeping cuts in food stamps for the poor being pursued in the House...
Illinois Lt. Governor: Cities Should Consider Assault-Weapons Bans
Jun 10 2013 // Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is urging Illinois communities to consider banning assault-style weapons before new legislation is signed that could prohibit local governments from doing so in the future. The General Assembly...
Oklahoma Lawmakers to Revive Lawsuit Limits
Jun 10 2013 // Oklahoma lawmakers will again consider legislation setting limits on lawsuits and making it easier to dismiss those that don’t have merit after the state Supreme Court struck down a 2009 law on the...
Oklahoma Supreme Court Invalidates Civil Justice Law
Jun 7 2013 // A civil justice reform measure hailed in 2009 as the most comprehensive bill to ever affect Oklahoma’s legal system has been declared unconstitutional by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. In a 7-2 decision, the...
Groups Warn N.Y. Assembly’s Insurance Reform Bills Have Potential to Backfire
Jun 6 2013 // Industry groups are warning that the New York State Assembly’s recent approval of the post-Sandy insurance reform package has the potential to backfire and are urging the state Senate not to take up this...
N.Y. Assembly Approves a Flurry of Post-Sandy Insurance Reform Bills
Jun 5 2013 // The New York State Assembly approved on Tuesday a comprehensive post-Sandy insurance reform package comprised of 14 pieces of legislation. All approved measures now move to the state Senate for further consideration. The...
Savage Leaving as Oregon Insurance Commissioner, Cali To Step In
Jun 4 2013 // Oregon Insurance Commissioner Lou Savage is leaving the Insurance Division to work on legal reform in emerging democracies overseas after nearly two years at the post. Laura Cali, the division’s chief actuary and...
Montana Judge Invalidates Fire-Resistant Roof Ordinance
Jun 4 2013 // A Montana judge has invalidated Helena’s 2008 fire ordinance restricting exposed wood building materials and requiring fire-resistant roofs on new or extensively renovated buildings. The Independent Record reported...
President Obama Issues Executive Orders to Curb ‘Patent Trolling’
Jun 4 2013 // President Barack Obama took steps on Tuesday intended to limit frivolous patent lawsuits, a practice referred to as “patent trolling.” Lawsuits brought by companies that do not make or sell anything but merely...
