Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurer Trade Group Urges Florida to Curb Auto Insurance ‘Fraud Tax’
Oct 28 2011 // Florida should allow more time for looking into suspicious claims, place a cap on attorneys’ fees and more closely regulate medical clinics to help reduce rampant fraud in the state’s personal injury protection...
Michigan Advances Workers’ Comp Changes
Oct 28 2011 // Legislation that could help employers contain costs related to compensating workers injured on the job cleared a Michigan House committee this week. The Republican-led House Commerce Committee approved the changes to...
Group Challenges Secret Court Arbitration in Delaware
Oct 27 2011 // An open-government group on Tuesday, Oct. 25, challenged a law that allows members of Delaware’s Court of Chancery to preside over secret arbitration proceedings in business disputes. The Delaware Coalition for Open...
Missouri Judge Declares Mistrial in $700M Tobacco Lawsuit
Oct 27 2011 // A judge in Missouri has declared a mistrial in a $700 million lawsuit against Philip Morris USA, after jurors failed to reach agreement on whether Missouri smokers were misled into believing that light cigarettes were...
Massachusetts Agents Drop Ballot Effort on Credit Ban
Oct 27 2011 // The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA) has agreed to a request from state lawmakers to withdraw the ballot initiative it filed in August to prohibit the use of credit scoring, education, and occupational...
Maryland’s Highest Court Rules on Lead Paint Lawsuits
Oct 26 2011 // Maryland’s highest court has ruled that a law giving owners of certain rental properties immunity from personal injury lawsuits based on a child’s ingestion of lead-based paint is invalid. The Court of Appeals...
U.S. Offering Small Businesses Free Cyber Security Tool
Oct 25 2011 // The U.S. government is making it easier for small businesses to beef up defenses against cyber criminals through a free, online tool, the top U.S. communications regulator said Monday. The Small Biz Cyber Planner will...
West Virginia Judge Affirms $91M Damage Award Against Nursing Home
Oct 24 2011 // A Kanawha County, West Virginia judge has affirmed most of a $91.5 million damage award against a Charleston nursing home in a lawsuit that claimed it failed to properly feed and care for an elderly woman who died hours...
Best’s Managing Director-Europe: Solvency II is Coming to an Insurer near You
Oct 24 2011 // Stefan Holzberger, A.M. Best’s managing director-analytics, recently moved to London from the U.S. He is well placed to analyze the impact of the European Union’s Solvency II regulations, not only on the...
Officials Say Bipartisan Deal on Cybersecurity Possible
Oct 21 2011 // Senior Obama administration officials and a bipartisan group of U.S. senators agreed on Wednesday to push for cybersecurity legislation as quickly as possible, the White House said Thursday. White House spokeswoman Caitlin...
Kentucky Lawmaker Looks to Curb Copper Thefts
Oct 20 2011 // Kentucky Republican state Rep. Bill Farmer of Lexington is planning to push a legislative measure that would impose new rules regarding the sale of scrap copper to try to cut down on thefts. Farmer said businesses and even...
Willis Launches Liability Coverage for Hedge Fund Directors
Oct 18 2011 // The ongoing financial crisis has claimed many victims over the past few years, but while banks and their depositors have been largely protected by taxpayer bailouts, the investment fund community, and the hedge fund...
Treasury Seeks Comments on Improving Insurance Regulation
Oct 18 2011 // The U.S. Treasury Department’s Federal Insurance Office is seeking public comment for its report on how to improve the country’s insurance regulatory system. The study is mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street...
Tennessee Caps Medical Malpractice Damages
Oct 17 2011 // Insurers in Tennessee will payout fewer damages in medical malpractice cases after a new cap on damages took effect earlier this month. The new law also states insurers may no longer be sued under the state’s...
Nebraska Insurance Director Needs More Data on Exchange Cost
Oct 17 2011 // Nebraska insurance officials can’t decide whether to recommend a state-based health insurance exchange or follow a proposed federal model until they know how much the national plan will cost, Nebraska Department of...
Federal Flood Insurance Program Extended Until Nov. 18
Oct 17 2011 // The U.S. House of Representatives in early October passed legislation that keeps the federal flood insurance program running until Nov. 18, 2011. The House voted 352-66 to extend the National Flood Insurance Program...
One Frustrated Florida County Decides to Tackle Auto Insurance Fraud On Its Own
Oct 17 2011 // One county in Florida has decided not to wait on state lawmakers’ promise to address the insurance fraud and fix the state’s automobile no-fault law. It has passed its own ordinance to crack down on fraudulent...
New York Officially Combines Regulatory Agencies
Oct 17 2011 // New York Department of Financial Services, the new department that combines the state’s insurance and banking regulators, was officially launched on Monday, Oct. 3. Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky...
Florida Lawmakers Contemplate the Future of Citizens
Oct 17 2011 // With four months to go before Florida’s legislative session, lawmakers are already considering the future of the state’s largest homeowners’ insurer. However, there are few easy answers in sight. Citizens...
Florida Commercial Lines Deregulation Law Takes Effect
Oct 17 2011 // Commercial insurers in Florida no longer have to seek prior approval from state regulators before changing some of the rates they charge under a new law that took effect October 1. Earlier this year, Florida lawmakers...
