Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Bermuda Minister Rejects Tax Haven Label; Sees Insurance Growth
Jun 4 2013 // Bermuda is not to blame for companies such as Google using Bermudan subsidiaries to shelter billions of dollars from U.S. and European tax authorities, the territory’s finance minister said on Monday. Google has come...
Fired Florida Trooper Says Speeding Lawmakers Get Break
Jun 4 2013 // A fired state trooper, as well as some current and former troopers, testified last week that the Florida Highway Patrol had an informal policy of giving breaks to legislators caught speeding. The highway patrol maintains...
Florida Gov. Scott Signs Bill Limiting State Review of Health Insurance Rates
Jun 4 2013 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed a bill that removes the ability of state regulators to challenge health insurance rates for a two-year period. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson had called for the bill to be vetoed, saying the...
Fomer Lawmaker Nunn Apologizes to Family for Killing
Jun 4 2013 // A former Kentucky lawmaker serving life in prison apologized publicly for the first time Friday to the family of his former fiance, whom he pleaded guilty to shooting and killing in Lexington four years ago. During a...
Texas Governor: Storm Insurance Special Session Possibility
Jun 3 2013 // Gov. Rick Perry has said he may add reshaping the troubled Texas Windstorm Insurance Association to a special legislative session he’s already convened on redistricting, but wouldn’t yet say for sure whether...
Former U.S. Federal Reserve Insurance Counsel Frank Alerte Joins Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky, Abate & Webb
May 31 2013 // Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 5/31/13 – Frank Alerte, a former executive insurance counsel at the U.S. Federal Reserve, Guy Carpenter and BB&T, has joined the law and governmental consulting firm of Colodny, Fass,...
PCI Asks Governor to Sign Illinois E-Card Law
May 30 2013 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America has asked Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to sign Senate Bill 1775, which would allow Illinois drivers to present electronic proof of insurance to state officials. The bill,...
Consumer Groups Fear Weaker Safety, Privacy Rules Under U.S.-EU Trade Pact
May 29 2013 // U.S. consumer groups plan to raise concerns on Wednesday about a proposed free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, which they fear could weaken important government health, environmental and...
Consumer Groups Worry U.S.-EU Trade Pact Will Weaken Health, Privacy Regs
May 29 2013 // U.S. consumer groups plan to raise concerns on Wednesday about a proposed free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, which they fear could weaken important government health, environmental and...
After Years of Increases, Florida Property Insurance Rates May Be Stabilizing
May 29 2013 // It’s been nearly eight years since Hurricane Wilma raked the southern end of Florida and caused billions in damages, the last of eight hurricanes to hit the state in 2004 and 2005. Yet even as the state has been...
