Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
North, South Carolina Coastal Insurance Plans Ready for Hurricane Irene
Aug 24 2011 // Caught square in the path of Irene, the first major hurricane of the season, the coastal insurance plans in North and South Carolina are prepared to absorb what may be their first major losses in years. Both plans appear...
Massachusetts Judge Refuses to Quash Fatal Arson Evidence
Aug 24 2011 // A Massachusetts judge has rejected a plea to suppress evidence in the case of a Northampton man accused of setting 15 fires that left two men dead and damaged property and vehicles more than a year ago. Prosecutors allege...
Tennessee Governor Resists Calls to Tweak New Cap on Damages
Aug 24 2011 // Republican Gov. Bill Haslam doesn’t intend to rework the state’s new law limiting payouts in successful lawsuits against doctors and other businesses, despite calls from some members of his own party for...
Connecticut Court Rules on Guaranty Fund Role in Workers’ Comp Claims
Aug 23 2011 // The state insurance guaranty fund can be considered the last insurer on a workers’ compensation risk that has multiple insurers and be initially liable for paying benefits to the injured employee, with the right to...
Judge Allows Investors, Insurers to Intervene in Bank of America Settlement
Aug 23 2011 // A New York state judge granted the request of dozens of investors including pension funds, insurers and several Federal Home Loan Banks to intervene in Bank of America Corp.’s proposed $8.5 billion settlement with...
North Dakota Farm Groups Backing Crop Insurance, Research
Aug 22 2011 // Crop insurance, research and export promotion should be among the top priorities in the next federal farm bill, say spokesmen for North Dakota agricultural groups, who are bracing for cuts in federal...
Insurers Oppose Change in South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Medical Fees
Aug 22 2011 // A new South Carolina regulation for calculating medical fees in worker injury cases has set off opposition from insurers and business groups that claim it favors certain medical providers over others and will increase...
Hunter’s Lawsuit Stirs Landowner Liability Concern in New Hampshire
Aug 22 2011 // Some New Hampshire lawmakers worried a lawsuit by a hunter will prompt landowners to close their lands to hunting and other recreational activities will meet Tuesday to discuss how to tighten the state’s law...
Judge Rejects JPMorgan’s Bid to Dismiss Whistleblower’s Retaliation Claim
Aug 22 2011 // A Manhattan federal judge rejected JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s bid to dismiss a whistleblower lawsuit by a former private banker who said she was fired in retaliation for warning about a suspicious Israeli...
Financial Firms Balk at New Law to Help Catch U.S. Tax Evaders
Aug 22 2011 // A U.S. law meant to snuff out billions of dollars in offshore tax evasion has drawn the criticism of the world’s banks and business people, who dismiss it as imperialist and “the neutron bomb of the global...
Florida Employers May Face Higher Workers’ Compensation Costs
Aug 19 2011 // Florida business owners could see their workers’ compensation premiums go up if regulators agree to raise rates by a recommended statewide average 8.9 percent. The National Council of Compensation Insurance (NCCI)...
Bermuda Association Lauds Government Progress on Solvency II ‘Equivalence’
Aug 18 2011 // While U.S. regulators are beginning to be worried about the impending imposition of the European Union’s Solvency II regulations for the re/insurance industry, which will come into force in 2014, Bermuda has been...
Florida Supreme Court Rules Gov. Scott Erred in Regulation Freeze
Aug 17 2011 // The Florida Supreme Court says Gov. Rick Scott overstepped his authority by suspending state agency rule-making procedures. The justices split 5-2 in the opinion. The majority ruled in favor of a disabled woman who...
Mississippi Judge Dismisses Claim Against ‘The Help’ Author
Aug 17 2011 // Did Kathryn Stockett use her brother’s African-American maid as the basis for a character in the bestselling novel-turned-movie “The Help?” For now, that question may go unanswered, by a court anyway. A...
Washington Court Rules in Single-Car, Underinsured Motorist Case
Aug 17 2011 // A Washington State couple has been turned down on their appeal of a ruling that said Farmers Insurance can deny their uninsured motorist claim following a single-car accident, which they said was caused by another driver...
European Insurance Regulation Threatens U.S. System, Connecticut Regulator Warns
Aug 17 2011 // Adoption of European regulatory changes known as “Solvency II” as currently proposed could weaken U.S. consumer protections and stability of insurers, a state insurance commissioner has warned. Connecticut...
Court Questions Handling of White Firefighters’ Reverse Bias Case
Aug 17 2011 // Reviving a lawsuit brought by a black firefighter, a federal appeals court in New York on Monday raised new questions about the impact of a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the reverse-discrimination lawsuit brought by 17...
Judge Blocks New York City From Removing Fire Alarm Boxes
Aug 17 2011 // A federal judge has ruled against a New York City plan to deactivate 15,000 fire alarm boxes, saying that doing so would discriminate against the deaf and hearing-impaired. The fire department last year said the move would...
New Workers’ Comp Reform Linked to Illinois Trooper Crash
Aug 16 2011 // A new law inspired by a former Illinois State Police trooper’s high-speed freeway wreck that killed two sisters bars state employees injured while committing crimes from getting workers’ compensation. The...
Big Insurers May Escape Capital Surcharges Under Global Regulations
Aug 16 2011 // New rules to ensure no insurance company is too big to fail are set to be drawn up in time for the 2012 meeting of G20 leaders, although unlike banks they may not include capital surcharges, according to industry...
