Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Calif. Agent, Insurer Groups Discuss Homeowners Replacement Cost Regs
May 17 2010 // To alleviate concerns about homeowner under-insurance, the California Department of Insurance has proposed regulations governing standards and training for estimating replacement value on homeowners’ insurance. CDI...
Declarations
May 17 2010 // Sudden Break-Up “We will not be closing any offices or exiting any markets. While we regret these employees’ decision, our focus continues to be on our clients and ensuring that any transition is...
West Virginia Could Add Second Agency to Police Mine Safety and Enforce Rules
May 17 2010 // West Virginia is mulling a new state agency dedicated to policing dangerous coal mines in response to an explosion that killed 29 men at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine. The state Board of Coal Mine Health and...
Florida Lawmakers Pass Omnibus Property Insurance Bill
May 17 2010 // On the final day of this legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed omnibus legislation that aims to bring more control over homeowners insurance costs, raises the state’s minimum capital requirements for...
Florida Consumer Advocate Dartland to Crist: Sign Property Insurance Bill
May 14 2010 // The chorus urging Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to sign an omnibus property insurance measure passed by the Legislature is growing. One of the state’s leading consumer advocates, Walter Dartland, of the Consumer...
Florida Insurers Head Into Hurricane Season with Fingers Crossed
May 14 2010 // Florida’s property insurance companies haven’t suffered hurricane losses for nearly five years, but many claim to be losing money even while collecting hefty premiums. It’s a complex paradigm for almost...
Judge: LimeWire Filesharing Violates Copyright
May 14 2010 // The makers of file-sharing software LimeWire are liable to 13 major record companies that accused the service of infringing their music copyrights, a Manhattan federal judge has ruled. In a ruling made public Wednesday,...
Lawmakers See Expanded Role for Calif. Insurance Commissioner
May 14 2010 // Two state lawmakers are the leading candidates for the Democratic nomination for California insurance commissioner, the statewide office responsible for regulating insurers at a time of great change and heightened scrutiny...
Nevada Insurance Commissioner Resigns; State Seeks Replacement
May 13 2010 // Nevada’s Business & Industry Director Dianne Cornwall announced that Nevada Insurance Commissioner Scott J. Kipper has resigned from the position, effective June 2, 2010. Kipper has been insurance commissioner...
South Carolina Firefighters Urge Lawmakers to Keep Sprinkler Code
May 13 2010 // South Carolina firefighters urged legislators this week to uphold a construction code requiring that new homes be equipped with fire sprinklers in a debate that pits safety against cost. They urged senators to defeat a...
Senators Slam Oil Executives Over Gulf Spill
May 12 2010 // U.S. senators Tuesday tried to pin the blame for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on the companies involved, scrutinizing their safety practices and demanding full compensation be paid for the cleanup. In hearings before two...
Tornado Shelter Legislation Killed in Oklahoma Senate
May 12 2010 // The Oklahoma Senate has killed a bill that would have required owners of mobile and RV parks to provide tenants with a plan to seek shelter. The bill’s author, State Rep. Pat Ownbey, praised a mobile home park south...
McCarty Denies Bill Means Automatic Rate Hikes; Urges Crist to Sign It
May 12 2010 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist may have just received an important nod he needs to be able to sign a homeowners insurance bill headed towards his desk. In a letter, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty is urging Crist...
New Jersey Targeting Growth in Captive and Reinsurance Markets
May 11 2010 // New Jersey Insurance Commissioner Tom Considine praised new, bipartisan legislation that would grow the reinsurance market and create a captive insurance market in the Garden State. The captive insurance bill was put...
Oil Executives Face Congress Today, Blame Each Other for Spill
May 11 2010 // Big oil goes under the spotlight Tuesday when U.S. lawmakers grill top executives on a drilling rig explosion and oil spill that threatens an environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. The hearings come during a...
New York Lawmakers Hold Discussion on Coastal Insurance Issues
May 10 2010 // New York lawmakers hold a roundtable discussion today with insurance agents and industry leaders over the difficulties facing the coastal homeowners insurance market. The meeting at the state legislature was called for by...
Connecticut Lawmakers Fail to Take Up Power Plant Bill
May 7 2010 // Connecticut lawmakers ran out of time to pass legislation that addresses power plant safety in the wake of the deadly Feb. 7 Kleen Energy plant explosion in Middletown. Some legislators were still attempting to pass a bill...
West Virginia Mulls Second Mine Inspection Agency
May 7 2010 // West Virginia is mulling a new state agency dedicated to policing dangerous coal mines in response to an explosion that killed 29 men at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine. The state Board of Coal Mine Health and...
Louisiana to Borrow $320M for New Construction Spending
May 6 2010 // Louisiana will borrow $320 million next year for state construction projects, far less than needed to fulfill the billions of dollars in requests from lawmakers and state agencies, the governor’s top budget adviser...
Vermont Lawmakers to Ban Driving While Texting
May 6 2010 // Vermont lawmakers want to put an S-T-O-P to drivers who text. Under a deal reached Tuesday between lawmakers, texting by drivers of any age will be banned, starting this summer. And the bill that says so goes a step...
