Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Conn. Commissioner: New Law Improves Oversight of Global Insurers
Jun 6 2012 // Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Leonardi praised passage of two new laws that give the state greater financial oversight of large, globally active insurance companies and makes the state a more attractive place...
Wildlife Groups Call for Florida Property Insurance Reforms
Jun 4 2012 // Taking the position that Florida’s heavily-subsidized property insurance market is leading to over-development along the state’s coastline, wildlife groups are calling on state lawmakers to make reforms even if...
New Law in Oklahoma Toughens Penalties for Insurance Fraud
Jun 4 2012 // A bill recently passed and signed by the governor toughens the penalties for insurance fraud, Oklahoma officials say. Senate Bill 1439, requested by Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak, is expected to save taxpayers...
Court Rules for Michigan Ski Resort in Lawsuit over Halfpipe
Jun 4 2012 // A skier who had a bone-crushing fall on the halfpipe at Boyne Mountain has lost a lawsuit that challenged whether the Michigan ski resort had adequately marked the pipe. A judge in Charlevoix County had declined to dismiss...
Safety Inspections Don’t Hurt Businesses: Study
Jun 4 2012 // Random inspections of U.S. industrial workplaces lower the risk of workers being injured on the job and have no measurable negative effect on the companies inspected, according to a study in the journal Science. Companies...
Judge Nixes North Carolina’s Matching Election Funds Program
Jun 4 2012 // A federal judge has struck down portions of North Carolina’s voluntary public financing program for appellate court candidates. The program was designed to provide extra funds to participants when they’re...
R.I. Enacts New Hurricane Insurance Law
Jun 4 2012 // Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee on May 22 signed into law legislation designed to provide additional protection to homeowners when their properties suffer damages from hurricanes. The legislation (House bill 2012-H7484A...
Missouri Session Ends with Some of Business ‘6’ Fixed
Jun 4 2012 // Despite repeated attempts during two legislative sessions, the Republicans who control Missouri’s General Assembly have passed only part of the six-point, pro-business agenda outlined by the state’s main...
Georgia Court Ruling Upholds School’s ‘Fair Use’ Use of Publication Excerpts
Jun 4 2012 // A federal judge sided with Georgia State University on a range of copyright infringement claims filed by three publishing houses in a ruling that administrators said could set an important precedent for how educational...
Strong Regulatory Systems
Jun 4 2012 // Insurance markets have evolved over the years to become increasingly global, interconnected, and convergent — a trend that will undoubtedly continue in years to come. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners...
Florida Hurricane Fund May Come Up Short If Big Storm Hits
Jun 4 2012 // Florida may not have enough money to pay off hurricane insurance claims if a big storm hits this year. An advisory panel recently concluded that the state may fall nearly $2 billion short of the total needed to cover all...
Maryland to Privatize State-Run Workers’ Comp Insurer IWIF
Jun 4 2012 // The Injured Workers’ Insurance Fund (IWIF), Maryland’s state-run workers’ comp insurance carrier, will become a private, nonprofit company under a new name Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance, effective...
Michigan Court Rules for Insurer in Tragic Hit-and-Run
Jun 1 2012 // The Michigan Supreme Court says an insurance company doesn’t have to pay benefits in a hit-and-run case because the incident wasn’t reported within 30 days. The court’s conservative majority overturned a...
N.J. Judge: Texter Not Liable for Driver’s Car Crash
Jun 1 2012 // A woman who texted her boyfriend while he was driving cannot be held liable for a car crash he caused while responding, seriously injuring a motorcycling couple, a judge in New Jersey ruled last Friday in what is believed...
R Street Institute Launches ‘Right Street Blog’ on InsuranceJournal.com
Jun 1 2012 // The R Street Institute, a new insurance free market think tank, has launched an insurance issue-oriented blog on InsuranceJournal.com. The blog, titled Right Street Blog, is being authored by Eli Lehrer, president of R...
Judge Slashes SeaWorld’s OSHA Fine for Death of Whale Trainer
Jun 1 2012 // SeaWorld Orlando’s $75,000 fine from the federal job safety agency for the death of a trainer by a killer whale two years ago has been reduced to $12,000, according to a judge’s ruling obtained Wednesday. The...
Free Markets Don’t Have to Mean No Regulation
Jun 1 2012 // A pragmatic, free-market take on insurance related issues from R Street Institute’s Eli Lehrer. A one-time boss of mine—a bearded gentleman who liked cigars, opera, candy and the Austrian School of economics—used...
Professional Liability Risks Evolve with Changes in Healthcare System
Jun 1 2012 // National healthcare reform legislation passed by Congress in 2010 may or may not survive consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court, but the healthcare system already has been evolving in ways that are likely to proceed...
Judge Reduces Prison Sentence of Chicago Insurance Mogul
May 31 2012 // A federal judge has spared a former Chicago executive the necessity of serving the final few months of his prison sentence for stealing millions from his insurance brokerage. U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo, citing...
Flood Insurance Program Extended Until July 31
May 31 2012 // As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives agreed with a Senate a measure extending the federal flood insurance program for 60 days until July 31. President Obama is expected to sign the legislation into law before the...
