Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
North Carolina Continues Auto Regulation Debate As Rates Stay Same for 2012
Feb 7 2012 // Auto insurers in North Carolina are once again divided over the prospect of changing how the state sets insurance rates with some insurers advocating for rate deregulation while others are supporting the status quo. The...
Long-time California Lobbyist Looks to 2012 Legislation Affecting Insurance
Feb 6 2012 // John Norwood is one of California’s best known legislative advocates for the insurance and financial services sectors. Norwood, principal of Norwood & Associates, has garnered recognition for his political work...
Louisiana Senator Co-Sponsors Bill to Protect Agent Health Commissions
Feb 6 2012 // Two U.S. senators have filed a bill to clarify that agent compensation should be excluded from the federal health reform Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) requirement for the individual and small group markets. Sen. Mary L....
China Tightens Rules for Auditors of Listed Firms
Feb 6 2012 // China has tightened the qualifying criteria for firms wanting to audit listed companies, to protect investor interests, according to new regulations published on Monday. The new regulations, made jointly by the finance...
Businesses Oppose Proposed Ohio Fraud Legislation
Feb 6 2012 // Some Ohio businesses are opposing a bill backed by the attorney general that would create tougher penalties on fraud and give whistle-blowers a slice of the damages or repayments. The proposed legislation, known as the...
When Main Street Meets the Cloud
Feb 6 2012 // Small Business Risks to Consider When Accessing Technology for Growth It’s a familiar small-business success story: A company extends its storefront from Main Street to the Internet. It uses social media to spread...
Florida Senate Panel Clears PIP Fraud Bill But House Showdown Looms
Feb 5 2012 // Florida lawmakers are heading to a showdown over the state’s no-fault automobile insurance law with state Senate lawmakers seeking to reform current law as opposed to a House plan that would repeal the law in favor...
Florida Bill to Let Surplus Lines Assume Citizens Policies Advances
Feb 5 2012 // Legislation designed to help state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Co. spin off customers to reduce its hurricane risk cleared the Florida House after a heated debate Friday. The bill (HB 245) would let surplus lines...
Judge Certifies Investor Class Action Against Goldman Sachs
Feb 3 2012 // Goldman Sachs Group Inc. was ordered by a federal judge to face a securities class-action lawsuit accusing it of defrauding investors about a 2006 offering of securities backed by risky mortgage loans from a now-defunct...
Missouri Senator Delays Workplace Discrimination Vote
Feb 3 2012 // A black senator from St. Louis area who said she was fearful of reversing decades of hard-fought civil rights gains held the Missouri Senate floor for hours on Feb. 1 while vowing to block a vote on legislation changing...
PIP Breast Implant Scandal Exposes Weaknesses in EU Safety Net
Feb 3 2012 // In June 2000, when American medical regulators posted a warning letter on the Internet about problems at a breast-implant maker in southern France, French authorities didn’t pay much attention. A U.S. Food and Drug...
Senate Bill on Iran Sanctions Targets Banks, Subsidiaries, Insurers
Feb 3 2012 // Banking transactions with Iran and financing for its oil shipments could come under tougher scrutiny after a bipartisan sanctions bill easily passed a key U.S. Senate Committee on Thursday. The Senate Banking Committee...
Texas Agents Honor State Lawmakers with Independent Leadership Award
Feb 2 2012 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has presented Independent Leadership Awards to the Honorable Kelly Hancock, Texas House of Representatives, and the Honorable John Carona, Texas Senate. With close to 10...
Treasury Says More Time Needed to Complete FIO’s Modernization Report
Feb 2 2012 // The Treasury Department’s Federal Insurance Office was expected to complete and send its highly anticipated report on modernization of insurance regulation to Congress in January. But now, it looks like it may take a...
Judge Allows South Carolina Company’s Twitter Lawsuit Against Employee
Feb 2 2012 // A South Carolina company’s lawsuit accusing a former employee of costing it hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost business when he took Twitter followers can go forward, a federal judge has ruled. On Monday, San...
Missouri Democrats Vow to Oppose Discrimination Bill
Feb 1 2012 // Black lawmakers in Missouri, fearful of reversing decades of hard-fought civil rights gains, said they will try to prevent votes in the House and Senate on a measure that would change the state’s workplace...
Judge Frees $100M in Louisiana Citizens’ Claims Dispute
Feb 1 2012 // The governing board of Louisiana’s property insurer of last resort held a special meeting on Jan. 31 to discuss how to deal with a judge’s order that lifted a freeze on more than $100 million at issue in a...
Florida Lawmakers Tackle Check Cashing Ties to Workers’ Comp Fraud
Feb 1 2012 // Florida lawmakers are looking to give regulators and law enforcement officials more flexibility to investigate check cashing companies that may be facilitating fraud in the construction industry. The House Subcommittee on...
Japan Cabinet Approves Cap on Nuclear Reactor Lifespan
Feb 1 2012 // Japan’s Cabinet approved bills Tuesday aimed at bolstering nuclear safety regulations following last year’s Fukushima disaster, including one that would put a 40-year cap on the operational life of nuclear...
Florida Lawmaker Warns on Damages If Cuba Oil Drilling Spills
Jan 30 2012 // Since the United States couldn’t stop Repsol from drilling for oil off Cuba’s coast, it should make the Spanish oil giant pay dearly for damages from any spill that threatens neighboring Florida, a...
