Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
President Obama Expected to Sign Food Safety Overhaul Bill
Dec 22 2010 // The ailing U.S. food safety system moved closer Tuesday toward its biggest overhaul in more than 70 years after the House passed legislation that would increase inspections and give regulators the power to recall tainted...
State Inaction Risks Loss of Surplus Lines Premium Tax Revenue
Dec 21 2010 // The States appear poised, through inaction, to leave untold millions of dollars in premium tax revenue “on the table” when the Nonadmitted Insurance and Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA) becomes the law of the land...
Insurance Vital to Alabama Coast Long-Term Plan, Says Commission
Dec 21 2010 // Coastal Alabama should seize the BP Gulf oil disaster as an opportunity for “resiliency planning” that will not only help the region recover from the oil damage but also put it in a position to better recover...
Fact or Fiction? Insurance Tidbits of Known and Little-Known Information
Dec 20 2010 // Have you ever wondered what big events helped shape regulation of the current U.S. insurance industry? Or if drivers of certain cars have more risk? What about the most attractive insurance job in the industry? These are...
Congress Sends Tax Deal to Obama for Signing
Dec 17 2010 // Congress gave final approval late Thursday to the deal President Barack Obama and Republicans made to extend expiring tax cuts — a high-stakes gamble to create jobs at a cost of deepening the U.S. debt. Over...
Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Insurers in 2 Uninsured Motorist Cases
Dec 16 2010 // The Supreme Court of Georgia has ruled in favor of insurance companies in two cases involving how much people injured in car wrecks should get under uninsured motorists coverage. At issue was whether the two injured...
Georgia Regulator Ignored Licensing Requirements, Judge Rules
Dec 16 2010 // A Fulton County judge has ruled that Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine disregarded application requirements when awarding small-loan licenses. Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington ruled that Oxendine was not...
Senate Passes Tax Cut Plan, 81-19
Dec 15 2010 // A deal that President Barack Obama struck with Republicans to extend expiring tax cuts for nearly every working American and spur job growth sailed through the U.S. Senate Wednesday. The Senate passed the legislation in a...
State: Utility Not to Blame in New Hampshire Power Shutoff Death
Dec 14 2010 // State regulators said an electric utility acted appropriately when it shut off power to a woman who didn’t pay her power bill and died after an oxygen machine she needed stopped working. The state Public Utilities...
Person Leaving Keys in Car May Be Liable, Tennessee Court Rules
Dec 13 2010 // A Tennessee court has ruled that a person who leaves keys in a car can be held responsible if the car is stolen and then involved in a crash. The Tennessee Court of Appeals– in a case involving a stolen car, a police...
Obamacare Individual Mandate Found Unconstitutional by Federal Judge in Virginia
Dec 13 2010 // A U.S. judge in Virginia Monday declared a key part of President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare law unconstitutional in the first major setback on an issue that will likely end up at the Supreme Court. U.S....
Judge Orders $15M to Indiana Crash Victim’s Family
Dec 10 2010 // A federal judge has awarded $15 million to the family of one of four people killed in a 2005 crash on the Indiana Toll Road caused by a truck driver. District Judge Theresa Springmann found Net Trucking of Burbank, Ill.,...
Arkansas Lawmakers Propose Banning Health Insurance Mandate
Dec 10 2010 // Legislation filed by a pair of Republican lawmakers in Arkansas proposes blocking a portion of the health care overhaul that requires people to buy health insurance. Rep.-elect David Meeks and Sen. Denny Altes propose...
Cal/OSHA Implements Updated Heat Safety Regulations
Dec 9 2010 // Cal/OSHA has implmented a new standard to protect employees who work with diacetyl, a chemical commonly used to give food flavorings a buttery taste. Cal/OSHA, a division of the California Department of Industrial...
Court: Missouri Can Lay Off Workers’ Comp Judges to Cut Costs
Dec 9 2010 // A Missouri appeals court has ruled that the state can lay off three workers’ compensation administrative law judges who challenged the state’s decision to scrap their positions as part of state budget cuts. The...
Swiss Re’s Economic Forum Sees Continued Growth, Pressure and Risks
Dec 8 2010 // Swiss Re’s Economic Forum singled out three main factors that will continue to affect the re/insurance market in 2011. The Forum’s economists forecast “continued global economic expansion in 2011, led by...
Online Database to License Surplus Lines Business Under Reform Efforts
Dec 7 2010 // One provision under new surplus lines insurance reform legislation was made easier to implement now that a national online producer database has expanded to meet the licensing needs of surplus lines brokers. The National...
Alabama Court Rules Story of Rumor with Denial Can Be Libelous
Dec 6 2010 // An Alabama appeals court has ruled that a false and defamatory published statement can be libelous even if it accurately quotes a person making the claim, includes a denial and makes clear the allegation is unverified. The...
Insurance Industry Outlook Improving, Slightly
Dec 6 2010 // The insurance industry is recovering from the economic crisis, but profits are nowhere near where they were prior to the crisis, and it will take California longer than other states to rebound, according to an industry...
P/C Insurers, Reinsurers Put Positive Spin on Federal Regulatory Role
Dec 6 2010 // The federal government’s new role in insurance regulation poses significant challenges and opportunities for the insurance industry, according to insurer trade group executives. The establishment of the Federal...
