Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alabama Governor Signs Texting Ban; Expects to Sign Home Insurance Bills
May 9 2012 // Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has signed into law a measure (HB 2) that prohibits texting while driving. “Signing this bill sends a message that drivers need to focus on driving – not on sending a text,”...
Duplicate Regulation Drives Up Commercial Premiums, Says Iowa Researcher
May 8 2012 // Buyers of commercial liability insurance pay as much as 31 percent more in insurer compliance costs if their insurance company has to comply with regulations from multiple states instead of just a single regulator,...
Missouri Efforts to Expand Texting Law Again Fall Short
May 7 2012 // Late last year, federal safety officials made a deadly crash in rural eastern Missouri a focal point in a nationwide call to ban drivers from using their cellphones while behind the wheel. The National Transportation...
Florida Revises Workers’ Comp Certificates, Excess Profits, Premium Audit Laws
May 7 2012 // Florida’s governor has signed workers’ compensation legislation streamlining the workers’ compensation certificate process, eliminating mandatory premium audits, and discontinuing refunds for insurers...
N.J. Judge to Decide If Text Sender Liable for Car Crash
May 7 2012 // A New Jersey judge will likely soon decide whether a woman who sent a text message to a male friend can be held liable for a car crash he caused while reading the message. The Daily Record reports the legal question stems...
Conn. Senate OKs Bill on Utilities’ Storm Response
May 7 2012 // The state Senate on Saturday, May 5, approved a wide-ranging bill that attempts to address many of the problems that developed last year when Connecticut was hit by the remnants of Hurricane Irene in August and again by an...
California Workers’ Comp Reform Taking Shape – Again
May 7 2012 // At a recent joint hearing in Sacramento on workers’ compensation in California with the Assembly and Senate, statistic after statistic flew out of the mouths of speaker after speaker during the nearly four-hour...
Clipping the Wings of Fly-by-Night Contractors
May 7 2012 // Approximately one year ago, on Sunday, May 22, 2011, at about 5:30 p.m., Joplin, Mo., was devastated by a massive EF 5 tornado that at times was 1 mile wide and traveled on the ground for more than 20 miles. This storm,...
OSHA Hit for Taking Too Long to Adopt Workplace Safety Rules
May 7 2012 // The nation’s premier worker safety agency takes nearly eight years on average to adopt new safety regulations, government auditors said in a report. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration takes far too...
Mississippi Judge Declares Damages Cap Unconstitutional
May 7 2012 // A state judge in Mississippi’s Coahoma County has declared a legislatively imposed cap on non-economic damages unconstitutional. Circuit Judge Charles Webster issued the ruling April 20 in a 14-page opinion. He...
Important Legislation
May 7 2012 // Two pieces of P/C insurance related legislation passed in Missouri in 2011: SB 101 and SB 132. Under SB 101, contractors who perform roof or other residential exterior work cannot offer to pay a homeowner’s insurance...
Vermont Licensed 8 New Captives in Q1
May 7 2012 // Vermont officials said its captive insurance industry is off to a strong start in 2012, with the state having licensed eight new captives during the first quarter. “We had a great first quarter with the licensing of...
Replacement Costs Battle on the Road to Somewhere
May 7 2012 // Steve Young was somewhat upbeat when he was asked what he thought about the outcome of a long-brewing legal battle between three insurance associations and the California Department of Insurance. That upbeat attitude is...
Florida Governor Vetoes Cat Fund Tax-Credit Plan
May 7 2012 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott has chastised state lawmakers for failing to fully consider a controversial plan to use state premium tax credits to help shore-up the state’s homeowners’ reinsurance fund before...
N.Y. Court Ruling May Open Door for More Asbestos Suits Against Pfizer
May 7 2012 // A New York federal appellate court ruling last month could allow more asbestos liability suits to proceed against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The appellate court’s decision affirms the previous ruling last year from...
Florida Governor Signs Long-Awaited Auto Insurance Anti-Fraud Bill
May 4 2012 // Florida’s decade long attempt to reform the state’s automobile no-fault insurance law has finally paid off. Gov. Rick Scott, flanked by rows of law enforcement officials and state officials, signed into law...
Lawmakers OK Limits on Mississippi AG’s Deals with Private Law Firms
May 4 2012 // A measure to limit Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood’s ability to control state legal business is on the way to Republican Gov. Phil Bryant. The Mississippi Senate voted 34-18 Wednesday to pass House Bill 211,...
Judge Blocks $90 Million Insurance Settlement for Lehman Directors, Officers
May 4 2012 // With a nod to country singer Kenny Rogers, a federal judge has refused for now to allow insurers for former officers and directors of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. to pay $90 million to settle a fraud lawsuit brought by...
Appellate Court Dismisses Challenge To CDI Replacement Costs Regulation
May 3 2012 // The California Court of Appeal summarily dismissed a legal challenge by the Association of California Insurance Companies and the Personal Insurance Federation of California to homeowner protection regulations adopted by...
Hawaii Lawmakers Pass 3 Cybercrime Measures
May 3 2012 // Hawaii lawmakers have approved a trio of bills aimed at preventing cybercrimes. The bills passed Tuesday offer law enforcement and prosecutors more tools to charge and penalize those who use computers to commit crimes. One...
