Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Senate Reforms Boost Federal Reserve’s Powers Over Non-Banks
Mar 15 2010 // The Federal Reserve would gain new powers over non-bank financial firms and keep much of its authority over banks under a new bill to be unveiled on Monday by the U.S Senate’s architect of financial reform. In a...
Lawmakers Hold Off on Higher Business Tax in Indiana
Mar 15 2010 // Democrats and Republicans in the Indiana General Assembly closed some partisan divides on some major issues, including a proposed increased tax on businesses, early on March 13 and adjourned the 2010 legislative session...
Kansas Democrats File Complaint Against Speaker Over Comp Fund Suit
Mar 15 2010 // Top Democrat lawmakers in Kansas filed a complaint in the Kansas House against its Republican speaker, accusing him of misconduct for representing businesses, trade groups and insurance funds in a lawsuit against the...
Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Emergency Room Tort Reform Law
Mar 15 2010 // The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the state’s 2005 tort reform legislation that limits the liability of emergency room medical care providers. The 4-3 ruling turned aside complaints that the law is...
West Virginia to Create Electronic Auto Insurance Verification System
Mar 15 2010 // West Virginia lawmakers want to give police and the courts an easy way to verify whether a driver has required liability insurance. The House has approved a measure previously backed by the Senate to instruct the Division...
West Virginia Lawmakers Approve Insurance Liens for Cities
Mar 15 2010 // Lawmakers have signed off on allowing West Virginia’s cities and towns to tap insurance proceeds when clearing away buildings destroyed by fire. The Senate has sent Gov. Joe Manchin his proposal to allow...
Poll Finds More Americans Say Global Warming Exaggerated
Mar 12 2010 // A growing number of Americans, nearly half the country, think global warming worries are exaggerated and more people doubt that scientific warnings of severe environmental fallout will ever occur, according to a new Gallup...
South Carolina House Passes $25 Fine for Texting While Driving
Mar 12 2010 // South Carolina motorists who are caught sending or reading text messages while they drive would be fined $25 under legislation that won key House approval this week. With a 98-18 vote, the House gave second reading to a...
West Virginia Lawmakers Approve Creation of Special Business Courts
Mar 12 2010 // Lawmakers hope a new bill will blunt business groups’ criticism of West Virginia’s court system. The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to allow the state Supreme Court to create special business courts in...
Florida Insurers Pin Hopes on Broad Bill Passed by Senate Panel
Mar 11 2010 // With the prospects for a controversial rate deregulation bill dimmed by Gov. Charlie Crist’s threat of a veto, the insurance industry is betting on a new wide-ranging insurance proposal to bring some reform to...
Obama Health Secretary Keeps Pressure on Health Insurers
Mar 11 2010 // Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ratcheted up the pressure on health insurance companies Wednesday, urging them to forgo short-term profits to make coverage more affordable and to stop fighting the...
Sen. Dodd to Unveil Financial Regulatory Reform Next Week
Mar 11 2010 // Senator Christopher Dodd said Thursday that he will present on Monday his own version of a financial reform bill after compromise talks with Senate Republicans broke down. Dodd, the chairman of the Senate Banking...
House Panels Face Environmental, Insurer Groups Over Catastrophe Bill
Mar 10 2010 // Two House subcommittees have scheduled a joint hearing today on ways to address homeowners insurance costs in disaster-prone communities, an issue that has some environmentalists, taxpayer groups and insurers standing...
Judge Dismisses Suit over New Jersey Teen Driver Decals
Mar 10 2010 // New Jersey judge has upheld a new law that requires drivers younger than 21 to display identifying decals on their vehicle license plates. State Superior Court Judge Robert Brennan dismissed a lawsuit brought by Gregg...
Supreme Court to Rule If Vaccine Makers Are Immune from Lawsuits
Mar 9 2010 // The Supreme Court said Monday that it would decide whether a federal law protects vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits in state court seeking damages for alleged design defects. The high court agreed to hear a Pennsylvania...
West Virginia Lawmakers Tackle Vacant Buildings, Insurance Liens
Mar 9 2010 // State lawmakers appear ready to increase the independence of West Virginia’s local governments, and they aren’t waiting on results from an ongoing experiment on the subject. The Senate is expected to take up a...
North Carolina Insurance Department Helps Consumers Recover $9 Million
Mar 9 2010 // Consumers in North Carolina were able to recover more than $9 million from insurance companies in 2009 with the assistance of the state insurance department. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said the recovery came from...
California Regulator Considering Regs to Alleviate Underinsurance
Mar 8 2010 // The California Department of Insurance is considering proposing new regulations governing standards and training for estimating replacement value on homeowners’ insurance. Among the ideas that was floated at a recent...
Utah Lawmakers Focus on Seismic Safety of Schools
Mar 8 2010 // Utah schools would be sized up to see how they would fare in the event of a major earthquake under a bill passed by the state House. The House, on a 50-18 vote, sent House Bill 72 to the Senate for consideration in the...
Trusted Choice
Mar 7 2010 // Just when producers thought it was safe, mandatory compensation disclosure has reared its ugly head again. In a move that has its origins in the Spitzer days, New York regulators are mandating that insurance agents and...
