Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Adjusters Win Free Speech Case Against 48-Hour Solicitation Rule
Jul 9 2012 // A 2008 Florida law establishing a 48-hour moratorium on public adjusters has been ruled unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court on grounds that it restricts commercial speech. The decision was a blow to the insurance...
Oklahoma Leaders Still Mulling Federal Health Care Law
Jul 9 2012 // More than a week after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the sweeping federal health care law, Oklahoma’s political leaders have offered few specifics about how the state will proceed in complying with its...
President Obama Signs Flood Insurance Reform Bill
Jul 9 2012 // President Barack Obama has signed the “Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2012” into law. The law extends the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years and makes reforms...
Massachusetts Lawmakers Working on Healthcare Cost Containment Bill
Jul 6 2012 // Massachusetts state lawmakers working to reconcile House and Senate versions of health care cost containment legislation say they are “optimistic” that they will reach a deal. Rep. Steven Walsh says...
North Carolina Lawmakers Pass 4 Year-Ban on Sea Level Policy Changes
Jul 6 2012 // After North Carolina lawmakers were ridiculed for their attempts to ignore a state-sponsored science panel that predicted a sharp rise in sea levels, they agreed this week to forbid any state agency to make policies on...
North Carolina Lawmakers Pass Protection for Insurance Whistleblowers
Jul 6 2012 // North Carolina lawmakers are acting to protect whistleblowers after a hospital sued a former employee who reported what the state auditor later determined were excessive taxpayer charges. The Winston-Salem Journal reported...
Florida Agents, Adjusters Face Continuing Education, Licensing Changes
Jul 5 2012 // A new Florida law seeks to reduce the regulatory burden on agents and adjusters by consolidating some licenses and revamping the education classes they must take to conduct business in the state. Among the changes:...
Judge Who Nixed Apple-Motorola Trial Questions Need for Software Patents
Jul 5 2012 // The U.S. judge who tossed out one of the biggest court cases in Apple Inc.’s smartphone technology battle is questioning whether patents should cover software or most other industries at all. Richard Posner, a...
Nevada to Exit NIMA
Jul 3 2012 // Nevada is leaving the surplus lines tax clearinghouse to which it belongs, Nevada’s insurance commissioner confirmed Tuesday. Nevada’s departure is the latest in a string of states to exit the Non-Admitted...
N.Y. Judge: Aon’s Poaching Suit Against Alliant Can Proceed
Jul 3 2012 // A New York court ruled last week that Aon Risk Services Northeast can proceed with its lawsuit against California-based Alliant Insurance Services involving employment covenants. Aon alleged that several of its former...
Judge Says Greenberg May Pursue $25B Suit Over AIG Bailout
Jul 3 2012 // A company run by former American International Group Inc. Chief Executive Maurice “Hank” Greenberg may pursue a $25 billion lawsuit against the U.S. government, in which it called the 2008 federal bailout of...
South Carolina Judge Adds Bible Reading to Drunk Driving Sentence
Jul 3 2012 // A South Carolina woman whose drunken driving seriously injured two people has been sentenced to eight years in prison, substance abuse counseling, and to read the Bible. The Herald of Rock Hill reported that Cassandra...
Florida Seeks Help to Quicken Approval of Insurer Forms
Jul 3 2012 // Florida regulators are looking to fast track the approval of changes in insurance company property policy forms and coverages after building up a significant backlog due to the numerous law changes enacted in the past two...
UK Watchdog Reviewing Regulatory Supervision after Libor Scandal
Jul 3 2012 // The UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) is reviewing how wholesale markets are supervised following the interest rate-setting scandal, its chairman Adair Turner said on Tuesday. “There are no free lunches,...
N.J. Court Rules on Workers’ Compensation Occupational Stress Claim
Jul 2 2012 // A New Jersey court struck down last week a claim by a former bank employee who sought workers’ comp disability benefits for what the claimant described as a psychological illness caused by occupational stress. The...
After Court Rules, Idaho Has Dilemma Over Exchange
Jul 2 2012 // Incensed over “Obamacare,” Idaho lawmakers last session snubbed $20 million from the federal government earmarked for an insurance exchange and refused even to make baby steps toward establishing this online...
Ex-Ariz. Lawmaker Files $10M Claim Against Phoenix
Jul 2 2012 // A former state senator who resigned in January over a domestic violence incident involving his ex-girlfriend has filed a $10 million notice of claim against Phoenix police and city officials. Scott Bundgaard, 44, stepped...
North Carolina Gov. Perdue Signs Workers’ Comp Scofflaw Bill
Jul 2 2012 // North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue has signed a bill designed to crack down on employers without workers’ compensation coverage despite opposition from media groups that objected to the fact the employer information will...
Louisiana Citizens Board Agrees to Retroactive 10% Rate Cut
Jul 2 2012 // The board governing Louisiana’s property insurer of last resort has agreed to drop rates by 10 percent across a dozen south Louisiana parishes retroactive to June 7, when the reduction was signed into law. The $16...
Florida’s Anti-Fraud Auto Insurance Law Now in Effect
Jul 2 2012 // A trio of constitutionally questionable measures and legislation designed to crack down on no-fault auto insurance fraud are among about 150 new Florida laws going into effect Sunday. A law that bans state and local...
