Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma Lawmakers Aim to Increase Consequences for Uninsured Motorists
Feb 23 2011 // To increase the incentive for all Oklahoma drivers to carry mandatory liability auto insurance, a House of Representatives committee voted to prohibit uninsured drivers from being able to sue for vague “pain and...
Ohio Insurance Department Financial Regulation Director to Retire
Feb 23 2011 // The Ohio Department of Insurance announced the retirement of Bill Rossbach, an integral part of the department’s Financial Regulation operation for the past 35 years. Rossbach most recently served as chief regulatory...
Supreme Court Allows Lawsuits Over Seat Belts
Feb 23 2011 // The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal regulations setting vehicle safety standards do not bar lawsuits seeking damages from automakers for installing lap-only seat belts. The unanimous ruling held that a California...
Virginia Bill Extends Sex Abuse Statute of Limitations to 20 Years
Feb 23 2011 // A bill to extend the amount of time victims of sexual abuse have to file lawsuits against their attackers and others who may have covered up the abuse cleared a major hurdle in Virginia this week. The House Courts...
Judges Still Trying to Settle West Virginia Coal Slurry Lawsuit
Feb 23 2011 // Two judges will try again this week to settle a long-running medical monitoring lawsuit over claims that Massey Energy Co. poisoned hundreds of southern West Virginia wells with coal slurry. The first mediation attempt by...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Litigation Costs Too High, Lawmaker Says
Feb 22 2011 // The amount the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has paid out in litigation costs as a result of lawsuits stemming from Hurricane Ike claims is far too high, says one Texas lawmaker who’s working on...
Supreme Court Rules Federal Law Shields Vaccine Makers from Suits
Feb 22 2011 // The Supreme Court ruled that federal law shields vaccine makers from product liability lawsuits in state court seeking damages for a child’s injuries or death from a vaccine’s side effects. The high court on...
Litigation, Investigation Fears Driving Up D&O Insurance Limits
Feb 22 2011 // Directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance is gaining traction as more companies are increasing their D&O liability limits and a growing number with international operations are also purchasing D&O...
Georgia Insurance Chief Issued Himself Licenses Before Leaving Office
Feb 22 2011 // Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine issued himself several licenses to sell insurance and adjust claims in his last full day in office, according to a newspaper report. Oxendine used his authority as the...
Medical Marijuana Raises Workers’ Comp, Liability Issues for Employers
Feb 21 2011 // Fifteen states and the District of Columbia currently have laws that approve medical marijuana as a medical treatment option, which has increasingly important implications in the workplace. Arizona voters recently passed...
NRRA Compliance Checklist: Prepare Now for Surplus Line Tax Changes and Enjoy Your Summer Vacation
Feb 21 2011 // Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part article on compliance with the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act. The Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA), Subtitle B, Part I, Dodd-Frank Wall Street...
Regulatory Ventilation
Feb 21 2011 // The Oversight and Government Reform Committee of U.S. House of Representatives has been looking into whether and how governmental regulations hurt business operations and job creation. In a recent hearing chaired by Rep....
New York Lawmakers Propose Easing Some Insurance Regulations
Feb 21 2011 // The New York Senate Committee on Insurance has begun hearing on legislation that would extend insurance agents’ license renewals, allow multiple rating plans for personal lines insurers and clarify laws about...
Insurers Oppose South Carolina Bill on Construction Defects
Feb 21 2011 // Insurers have come out against a move by South Carolina lawmakers to extend general liability policies to include construction defects. The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) says such a move would add...
Regulatory Ventilation
Feb 21 2011 // The Oversight and Government Reform Committee of U.S. House of Representatives has been looking into whether and how governmental regulations hurt business operations and job creation. In a recent hearing chaired by Rep....
Industry Has Big Legislative Goals for 2011
Feb 21 2011 // Just as state lawmakers forge ahead with new legislative goals for 2011, the insurance industry, agents and their lobbyists are doing the same across much of the Northeast. Some states have already seen and continue to see...
South Carolina House Passes Limit on Punitive Damages
Feb 21 2011 // South Carolina House Passes Limit on Punitive Damages The South Carolina House of Representatives approved limits on punitive damages by a vote of 100 to 7. The bill would limit punitive damages to three times the actual...
Allstate to Exit Banking Business
Feb 21 2011 // The Allstate Corp., the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, is getting out of the banking business. Discover Bank, a division of Discover Financial Services, is purchasing the $1.1 billion deposits...
UK Government Announces Financial Regulatory Changes; ABI, Lloyd’s Comment
Feb 18 2011 // The UK’s Conservative government recently announced the long awaited regulatory reform proposals for financial services, covering both banks and insurers. They are far reaching, and will require changes in the way...
Washington Refines Pay-As-You-Drive Legislation
Feb 18 2011 // Washington’s Senate Committee on Financial Institutions, Housing & Insurance has refined a proposal to allow drivers’ insurance rates to be based primarily on the number of miles driven per year. The PAYD...
