Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Passes Workers’ Comp Changes
Apr 2 2012 // While debates over property insurance and no-fault auto insurance consumed the attention of state officials and the media, Florida lawmakers quietly dealt with several other insurance issues, including workers’...
N.Y. Agency Groups Will Not Appeal Recent Disclosure Ruling
Apr 2 2012 // It looks like the courtroom battle has ended for New York State’s broker compensation disclosure regulation. In March, the New York appeals court agreed with the lower court and said insurance regulators were within...
Risk for Corruption High in South Central States, Report Says
Apr 2 2012 // Although none of the 50 U.S. state governments were found to be exemplary, three out of four South Central states received lackluster rankings in a report evaluating state governments on integrity and the ability to...
Arizona Oks Paperless Option on Insurance Proof
Mar 31 2012 // Arizona motorists will be able to use their smart phones to prove to a police officer that they have insurance for their vehicles. Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law a bill to have Arizona join Idaho in permitting...
Judge Won’t Dismiss Massey Shareholder Suit Over Safety
Mar 30 2012 // A federal judge refused Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit by former Massey Energy shareholders who say they were deliberately misled about the company’s safety record before the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in West...
Bill Would Allow Exceptions to South Carolina Liability Cap
Mar 30 2012 // Legislation inspired by the fatal crash of a Spartanburg park train ride last year would allow local governments in South Carolina to choose whether to pay out higher claims than the current state limit of $600,000. The...
Judge Throws Out Investor Lawsuit Against Bank of America Over Mortgages
Mar 30 2012 // Bank of America Corp. on Thursday won dismissal of a lawsuit by investors who wanted the bank to buy back mortgage loans that underlie more than $1.06 billion of securities. The case is tied to risky home loans issued by...
IBM’s Algorithmics, Insurers Analyze Solvency II Compliance Preparation
Mar 30 2012 // Despite delays and complaints the European Union’s Solvency II regulations, which cover the insurance industry, are slowly but surely moving forward. While most of the industry is primarily concerned with the...
Michigan Lawmakers Again OK Motorcycle Helmet Repeal
Mar 29 2012 // Michigan lawmakers are making another attempt at repealing a state law that requires motorcyclists to wear helmets. The state Senate gave final legislative approval to a repeal of the ban Wednesday by a 24-14 vote. The...
Judge: U. Of Iowa Must Keep Paying Suspended Whistleblower Doc
Mar 29 2012 // A judge has ordered the University of Iowa to pay a suspended radiology professor who hasn’t worked for 14 months while he continues his whistleblower lawsuit. District Judge Patrick Grady on Tuesday restored Malik...
Judge Approves $158M Drug Settlement in Texas Lawsuit
Mar 29 2012 // A Texas judge has finalized a $158 million settlement between Texas and a subsidiary of health care giant Johnson & Johnson in a Medicaid fraud lawsuit over the anti-psychotic drug Risperdal. The agreement, reached...
Massachusetts Health Care 5-Year Lobbying Topped $51M
Mar 29 2012 // Hospitals, insurers, doctors and unions are spending tens of millions of dollars trying to make sure their voices are heard on Beacon Hill as Massachusetts lawmakers weigh sweeping changes to the way the state pays for...
Amish Buggy Safety Bill Wins Final Passage in Kentucky
Mar 29 2012 // Kentucky’s General Assembly has given final passage to legislation that would exempt the Amish from a longstanding requirement that they affix bright orange safety triangles on their slow-moving buggies. Lawmakers,...
Idaho Governor Signs Electronic Proof of Coverage Law
Mar 28 2012 // Idaho became the first state in the nation on Wednesday to enact legislation to allow motorists to use a smart phone to demonstrate proof of insurance coverage. Gov. Butch Otter signed Senate Bill 1319, which enables Idaho...
Oilfield Cleanup a Big-Money Dispute in Louisiana
Mar 28 2012 // A behind-the-scenes firestorm in Louisiana’s legislative session centers on a big-money, years-long dispute between landowners and the oil and gas industry over how cleanup should be handled of environmental damage...
Some Oklahoma Law Officers Wary of ‘Open Carry’ Bills
Mar 27 2012 // Legislation that would allow Oklahomans to display their handguns openly has some law enforcement officials on edge, but many people say the public may not see a big difference. Oklahomans with a state-issued permit have...
FTC Wants Voluntary Online ‘Do Not Track’ System
Mar 26 2012 // U.S. regulators are pressuring Internet companies to put in place by the end of the year a “Do Not Track” system that would give consumers more control over their personal data online, in a report released on...
Missouri Republicans Ponder Next Move on Vetoed Business Bills
Mar 26 2012 // Republican lawmakers in Missouri are trying to decide what they will do next on two pieces of business legislation recently vetoed by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon. One measure would require workers who bring wrongful...
Beazley Launches Healthcare Regulatory E&O Policy
Mar 26 2012 // Beazley Group has introduced a new healthcare regulatory liability policy to protect policyholders against errors & omissions claims brought by or on behalf of governmental entities. Uniquely, the policy also responds...
Change to Connecticut Medical Malpractice Law in Dispute
Mar 26 2012 // State lawmakers are moving ahead with legislation they say will fix a problem with Connecticut’s medical malpractice law that has kept some legitimate lawsuits out of the courts, despite heavy opposition from the...
