Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
US Senate OK’s Russia Trade w/ Human Rights Bill; Angry Russian Reaction
Dec 7 2012 // The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved legislation to punish Russian human rights violators as part of a broader bill to expand U.S. trade with Washington’s former Cold War enemy. Passage of the bill, by a 92-4 vote,...
South Carolina Court Upholds Contractor Liability for Faulty Workmanship
Dec 6 2012 // South Carolina’s high court has left intact a state law that requires a builder’s general liability policy to cover damages from faulty workmanship, but ruled it cannot be applied retroactively to claims filed...
Ohio Senate Panel Advances Asbestos Lawsuit Bill
Dec 6 2012 // An Ohio Senate committee advanced a bill on Dec. 4 aimed at curbing duplicate lawsuits over on-the-job asbestos exposure in a state with one of the largest backlogs of such cases in the nation. The bill cleared the...
GOP Support Helps Move Illinois Immigrant Driver’s License Bill
Dec 6 2012 // A plan that would allow illegal immigrants in Illinois to get driver’s licenses cleared another hurdle on Dec. 4, with the state Senate approving the measure hours after Republican leaders in the General Assembly...
Florida Lawmakers Ponder More Pricing Freedom for Property Insurer Citizens
Dec 6 2012 // Some Florida legislators said this week they would consider giving the state’s largest property insurer more control over its rates, including allowing the company to raise rates to bolster its ability to pay...
New Jersey Lawmaker Seeks to Cap Public Adjuster Fees in Wake of Sandy
Dec 5 2012 // A leading New Jersey lawmaker is planning to introduce a bill that would cap how much a public adjuster can charge a homeowner for insurance claim assistance for certain emergencies. Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Jerry...
Obamacare Medical Loss Ratio Saved $1.5 Billion in 2011: Report
Dec 5 2012 // Consumers saw nearly $1.5 billion in insurer rebates and overhead cost savings in 2011, due to the Affordable Care Act’s medical loss ratio provision requiring health insurers to spend at least 80 percent of premium...
Viewpoint: Trade Sanctions and Risk Management
Dec 5 2012 // The U.S. government has increasingly used laws and regulations that impose economic sanctions on others as an instrument to advance foreign policy and national security goals, with some of the most recent efforts aimed at...
Employers Hopeful for California Workers’ Comp Reform
Dec 3 2012 // Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of articles to look at California’s workers’ compensation reform law in detail and what must be done to implement that law by Jan. 1, 2013. Looking forward...
Ohio Lawmakers Pass Bill to Create Arson Registry
Dec 3 2012 // Convicted arsonists in Ohio would be required to register with local sheriffs under a bill headed to the governor’s desk. The Ohio House voted 89-2 on Nov. 28 to send the measure to Gov. John Kasich. The legislation...
Florida Judge Invalidates Windstorm Credit Forms; Regulator Appeals
Dec 3 2012 // A Florida administrative law judge has ruled that some forms used by insurers to determine a homeowner’s windstorm premium credits are invalid because they don’t take into account measures taken to protect...
Fitch Downgrades Argentine Insurers Ratings after Sovereign Downgrade
Dec 3 2012 // Fitch Ratings has downgraded the long-term National Scale ratings of 12 insurance companies in Argentina, and has also revised the companies’ rating outlooks to negative from stable. Fitch said it took the rating...
Oklahoma Insurance Department Spends $180K on Guns, Police Vehicles
Dec 3 2012 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department spent more than $180,000 on high-tech shotguns, bulletproof vests and seven police-package vehicles that agency officials say were needed as part of its expanded focus on criminal...
South Carolina Names Lobbyist Farmer as Insurance Chief
Dec 3 2012 // South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has named Ray Farmer as the state’s new insurance regulator. Farmer is a lobbyist with the property/casualty insurance trade group, the American Insurance Association. Farmer replaces...
N.Y. Law Firm Nelson Levine Hires 2 Attorneys From Harleysville, MetLife
Nov 30 2012 // Targeting strategic expansion, Nelson Levine de Luca & Hamilton, a New York-headquartered national law firm serving the insurance industry, announced that Louis H. Kozloff has joined as a partner in the Insurance...
U.S. Judge Allows Civil Suits in Meningitis Outbreak to Proceed
Nov 30 2012 // A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday allowed civil suits against the pharmacy at the heart of the deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak to proceed and noted that any criminal case would have priority in gathering evidence.An...
Congressional Leaders Push to Pass Farm, Crop Insurance Bill
Nov 30 2012 // With time running out, agricultural leaders in Congress vowed on Thursday to do everything they can to pass a farm bill that cuts spending by at least $23 billion – savings that could assure support by lawmakers...
U.S. Regulators Urge Flexibility in Basel III Rules for Banks, Insurers
Nov 30 2012 // U.S. lawmakers and state financial regulators on Thursday called on federal officials to revamp proposed rules that would force financial firms to hold much more capital, asking them to consider the impact on small banks...
Torus Survey: Top Issues in Management Liability & Professional Lines Market
Nov 29 2012 // A recent survey* undertaken by global specialty insurer Torus has highlighted a myriad of current issues facing the management liability and professional lines market. Designed to identify key trends affecting this...
Audit: Louisiana Restaurant Inspections Don’t Ensure Food Safety
Nov 28 2012 // Louisiana’s regulators of food safety fail to ensure restaurants and other retail food establishments are complying with health standards and allow violators of safety requirements to continue operations, according...
