Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Court Rules Illegal Workers Entitled to Workers’ Compensation
Aug 11 2011 // Florida employers may be under more pressure to document the status of their workers after a panel of state judges ruled that illegal residents who are injured on the job are eligible for workers’ compensation...
Illinois Bars Workers’ Compensation for State Employees Involved in Crimes
Aug 11 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...
Judge Nixes Suit over Pennsylvania Officer’s Crash Death
Aug 11 2011 // A federal judge has dismissed a police widow’s lawsuit against a suburban Philadelphia township over its insurance coverage. Middletown Township Officer Chris Jones was killed by an intoxicated driver during a 2009...
Florida Eases Surplus Lines ‘Due Diligence’ Rule for Agents
Aug 10 2011 // Florida insurance agents should have an easier time placing commercial policies with surplus lines carriers under a new law that allows them to offer the coverage without first scouring the admitted market for the...
Judge May Allow Soldier’s Claim Against ‘Hurt Locker’ Movie to Go Forward
Aug 10 2011 // A federal judge in Los Angeles has indicated she is leaning toward dismissing most of an Iraq war veteran’s lawsuit against the makers of “The Hurt Locker” but may allow him to pursue his key claim that...
What New Car Insurance Rules Mean for New Jersey
Aug 9 2011 // New Jersey proposed a sweeping overhaul last week to its regulations for the personal injury protection component of auto insurance, hoping to curb rising premiums. The changes affect how and what doctors can bill for...
Pinnacol Stops Administering Colorado State Claims
Aug 8 2011 // A Colorado-chartered workers’ compensation insurer will no longer administer the claims of state employees following disagreements with state officials over lavish trips, compensation and golden parachutes for key...
Judge Dismisses Dallas National Suit Vs. Florida Insurance Chief
Aug 8 2011 // A federal judge last week threw out a lawsuit against Florida’s insurance commissioner even though the official had opposed dismissing the case. Commissioner Kevin McCarty argued that keeping the litigation alive...
Tennessee Reopens for Business from Captive Insurers
Aug 5 2011 // Applications are now being accepted in Tennessee for firms looking to create captive insurers under the state’s revised law. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance released a new application form for...
Judge Allows Army Veteran to Sue Rumsfeld for Damages Over Torture
Aug 5 2011 // A judge is allowing an Army veteran who says he was imprisoned unjustly and tortured by the U.S. military in Iraq to sue former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld personally for damages. The veteran’s identity is...
Minn. Supreme Court Rules Against Agent in Negligent Procurement Case
Aug 5 2011 // An insurance agent in Minnesota lost an appeal asking to the state Supreme Court to dismiss a case against him over “negligent procurement of insurance coverage.” Robert M. Swendra with the Robert M. Swendra...
Judge Tosses Suit Challenging FEMA Flood Mapping in Illinois
Aug 4 2011 // A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit three southwestern Illinois counties filed to block the U.S. government from declaring the region’s levees functionally useless. U.S. District Judge J. Phil Gilbert called the...
Florida to Investigate Role of Check Cashing Firms in Workers’ Compensation Fraud
Aug 4 2011 // Florida officials are calling for an investigation into the role of check cashing services in helping construction subcontractors avoid paying their fair share of workers’ compensation premiums. Florida Chief...
Massachusetts Agents Seek Ballot Measure to Ban Insurers’ Use of Credit Scores
Aug 4 2011 // Massachusetts independent insurance agents who oppose the use of credit scores, occupation and education level in auto insurance pricing by the insurance companies they represent are pushing to put a petition to ban such...
Judge Scolds PennDOT for Pursuing Uninsured Woman
Aug 4 2011 // A three-judge Commonwealth Court panel Tuesday upheld the suspension of a Philadelphia woman’s car registration for allowing her insurance to lapse, although one judge scolded the Pennsylvania Department of...
Judge Tosses Tennessee Cheerleaders’ Damages Lawsuit
Aug 4 2011 // A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by three former high school cheerleaders who were kicked off the squad for underage drinking. The damage suit filed by parents of the former cheerleaders at Ooltewah High School...
Judge Scolds PennDOT for Pursuing Uninsured Woman
Aug 4 2011 // A three-judge Commonwealth Court panel Tuesday upheld the suspension of a Philadelphia woman’s car registration for allowing her insurance to lapse, although one judge scolded the Pennsylvania Department of...
When Rating Agencies Judge the World – an Analysis
Aug 3 2011 // The man who holds in his hands the fate of U.S. credit, and with it potentially the global economy, favors small tie knots, sports a bushy mustache and smokes his fair share of cigarettes. Beyond that, he is a mystery,...
China Mulls Creation of New Regulator for State Financial Sector
Aug 3 2011 // China is considering a proposal to create a ministerial-level body to manage its state-owned banks and non-bank financial enterprises, two sources with knowledge of the plan said, a move that would strengthen...
Alabama Hikes Penalty for Driving Without Liability Insurance
Aug 2 2011 // Alabama drivers are facing stiffer penalties for failing to have liability insurance under a bill recently signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley. In 2001, state lawmakers required all state drivers to carry motor vehicle...
