Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tennessee Judge Dismisses Mechanical Bull Injury Suit
Apr 14 2011 // A Maury County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Florida woman claiming she was injured while riding a mechanical bull. According to The Daily Herald, an order was filed April 1 by Judge Stella Hargrove throwing out...
Judge Allows Harassment Suit Against Delaware Police
Apr 14 2011 // A Superior Court judge has ruled that a sexual harassment case against Delaware State Police may proceed. State officials wanted to quash the lawsuit by state police secretary Diana L. Miller but Judge Jerome O. Herlihy...
North Carolina Insurance Chief Battles Auto Rate Deregulation Bills
Apr 14 2011 // Auto insurers are looking to change the way rates are set in North Carolina but that’s not going to happen if Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has his way. There are several bills pending in the state Legislature...
North Carolina Lawmakers Urged to Preserve Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Apr 13 2011 // Injured workers’ groups, trial lawyers and others are sending a clear message to North Carolina lawmakers — leave the state’s workers’ compensation law alone. Hundreds of people descended on the...
Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Judge Facing State Discipline
Apr 13 2011 // The Judicial Conduct Board has begun disciplinary proceedings against a former Pennsylvania Superior Court judge serving a 46-month federal prison sentence for insurance fraud. It was not immediately clear if ex-Superior...
How Health Reform Will Affect Workers’ Comp, Liability Insurance
Apr 12 2011 // The federal health reform enacted last year will bring short- and long-term challenges to employers and the property/casualty insurance industry. According to Harry Shuford, chief economist for the insurance...
Oregon Bar Clears State Lawmaker in Insurance Contract Dispute
Apr 12 2011 // The Oregon State Bar has cleared a Republican state lawmaker from central Oregon in a contract dispute between two of his clients. The Bulletin newspaper in Bend reports the bar found no basis for a claim of dishonesty...
Pennsylvania House Passes Tort Reform Bill
Apr 12 2011 // Pennsylvania House lawmakers have passed a major tort reform bill, an agent-supported move that sets up a vote in the Senate that could happen as early as this month. The tort reform bill, also called the Fair Share Act,...
New Mexico Regulator OKs Insurance Company Rate Request
Apr 8 2011 // State Insurance Superintendent John Franchini has approved a double-digit rate increase for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico. The rate increase will average 21 percent and affects about 40,000 people. The state...
West Virginia to Subsidize Volunteer Firefighters’ Workers’ Comp
Apr 8 2011 // The doors of West Virginia volunteer fire departments will stay open thanks to a new law that will help offset their workers’ compensation costs. West Virginia Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has sign into law the...
‘Katrina’ Federal Judge Senter of Mississippi Retiring
Apr 8 2011 // U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr., who presided over hundreds of Hurricane Katrina insurance cases, is retiring Friday. The Sun Herald reported that Senter and his staff have spent the week packing up his offices on the...
House Flood Insurance Reform Bill Wins Bipartisan Support
Apr 7 2011 // A House subcommittee yesterday approved a bipartisan bill to reauthorize and reform the nation’s flood insurance program. The 10 Republicans and eight Democrats on the Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity...
Little Support for Marriage Alternative in Rhode Island
Apr 7 2011 // A proposal to extend some of the rights of marriage to same-sex couples and others who can’t legally marry, such as siblings, is winning little support amid Rhode Island’s debate over legalizing gay...
Wisconsin Passes Bill to Reduce Auto Liability Coverage Minimums
Apr 6 2011 // Insurers are praising the passage in Wisconsin of a bill that would reduce the mandatory minimum auto insurance liability limits in that state. The American Insurance Association (AIA) commended the Wisconsin State Senate...
Financial Consultant Bjelobaba Analyzes Changing UK Regulations
Apr 6 2011 // The UK’s Conservative government announced, even before it was elected, that it planned to reform the country’s financial regulatory system – for banks, investment providers and the insurance industry. On...
Connecticut Builders, Fire Officials Spar over Sprinkler Rule
Apr 5 2011 // With his Connecticut home-building business down more than 90 percent, the last thing Robert C. Fusari Sr. says he needs is a new rule telling him to spend thousands of dollars to install home sprinkler systems that...
U.S. Judge Dismisses Non-U.S. Car Buyers’ Claims Against Toyota
Apr 5 2011 // A U.S. judge said he would dismiss claims against Toyota Motor Corp. by non-U.S. car buyers who say their vehicles lost value because of manufacturing defects. Toyota has recalled 19 million vehicles globally since 2009...
Flood Insurance Reform Bill Due This Week
Apr 4 2011 // A key House subcommittee plans to mark up its final version of legislation to reauthorize and reform the federal flood insurance program this Wednesday. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill., who chairs the Financial Services...
Florida Advances Commercial Insurance Rate Deregulation
Apr 4 2011 // A move to deregulate a number of commercial lines of property/casualty insurance is making quiet progress in Florida. The legislation, which has already passed the House by a unanimous vote, would exempt insurance pricing...
Technology to Prevent Bus Accidents Exists But Isn’t Implemented
Apr 4 2011 // The technology exists to prevent many bus crashes and to make it more likely passengers will survive those that do occur, but government regulators have failed to implement safety recommendations that in some case stretch...
