Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Will No Longer Enforce Mask Mandate on Airplanes, Trains After Court Ruling
Apr 19 2022 // The Biden administration will no longer enforce a U.S. mask mandate on public transportation, after a federal judge in Florida on Monday ruled that the 14-month-old directive was unlawful, overturning a key White House...
Federal Judge Certifies Class Action vs. PGAC on Auto Policy Fees
Apr 19 2022 // A subsidiary of American Family Insurance now faces a federal class-action lawsuit in Florida, alleging it regularly charged auto policyholders a cancellation fee that was never mentioned in the policy. The size of the...
ATV Is Not a Farm Vehicle Covered Under Homeowner’s Policy, Virginia Court Rules
Apr 18 2022 // The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) is not a “farm type vehicle” covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy, reversing a lower court that ruled in favor of coverage. The...
Maine Lawmakers Advance Bill Granting Tribes Sovereignty
Apr 18 2022 // The Maine House voted Thursday to give the state’s tribes the same rights enjoyed by Native Americans elsewhere across the country, a first step in an effort to uphold the tribes’ sovereignty. The 81-55 tally...
California Court Rules Hospitals Can Be Responsible for Abuse by Employees
Apr 18 2022 // A state appeals court ruled that a Southern California hospital can be held responsible for sexual abuse by an employee, upholding a jury’s damage award of $6.75 million to two elderly patients who were abused at a...
Judge Finds Tesla Liable to Black Former Worker Who Alleged Bias, but Slashes Payout
Apr 14 2022 // A federal judge said on Wednesday Tesla Inc. was liable to a Black elevator operator who said the electric car company ignored racial abuse at the factory where he worked, but reduced a nearly $137 million jury award to...
U.S. Gunmakers to Ask Judge to Toss Mexico’s $10 Billion Lawsuit
Apr 12 2022 // A U.S. judge on Tuesday questioned whether allowing Mexico to sue U.S. gun manufacturers for facilitating the trafficking of weapons to drug cartels would open the door to other countries suing them, including Russia over...
Judge Orders Demolition of Packard Plant in Detroit
Apr 11 2022 // A judge has ordered the demolition of the deteriorating Packard auto plant in Detroit, finding that it had become a public nuisance. Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Brian Sullivan wrote in an order that the plant’s...
Maine Lawmakers Move to Phase Out PFAS
Apr 11 2022 // Lawmakers in Maine have made a move toward banning pesticides that contain long-lasting chemicals. The proposal would ban distribution of pesticides with intentionally added perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances by...
California Court Rules Hospitals Can Be Responsible for Abuse by Employees
Apr 8 2022 // A state appeals court ruled that a Southern California hospital can be held responsible for sexual abuse by an employee, upholding a jury’s damage award of $6.75 million to two elderly patients who were abused at a...
Judge Dismisses Charges for Missouri Duck Boat Tragedy
Apr 7 2022 // A judge on Tuesday dismissed criminal charges against three men prosecuted after a tourist boat sank and killed 17 people during a 2018 Missouri storm. The boat was swamped by waves caused by strong winds shortly after it...
Texas Judge: NFL QB Watson Must Address History With Therapists
Apr 7 2022 // Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson must say whether he had sex with 18 massage therapists who supported him last year following criminal complaints, a judge in Texas ruled Tuesday. USA Today reported that Watson...
Georgia Lawmakers Adopt NAIC Rules on Group Capital, Stress Tests
Apr 7 2022 // The Georgia General Assembly this week passed a bill that adopts National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ recommendations for insurance holding companies, including calculations for group capital and a...
Lawmakers Probing Amazon Labor Practices Following Illinois Tornado Deaths
Apr 5 2022 // The U.S. House Oversight Committee is opening an investigation into Amazon.com’s labor practices during extreme weather events, following the death of six workers during a swarm of tornados last year. In a letter...
Alabama, Georgia Lawmakers Make Uber, Grubhub Drivers Independent Contractors
Apr 5 2022 // Alabama and Georgia are poised to join the ranks of those states making it clear that drivers for Uber, Lyft, Grubhub and other delivery and ride-sharing apps should be considered independent contractors, not employees...
Arkansas Supreme Court Rules for Appellant in Elapsed Time Workers’ Comp Case
Apr 5 2022 // The Supreme Court of Arkansas has reversed and remanded a decision in an appeal of the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission’s denial of a claim for additional medical benefits of an appellant over a...
Minnesota Lawmakers Reach Deal to Extend Reinsurance Program
Apr 5 2022 // Legislative leaders announced a bipartisan deal to extend Minnesota’s health care reinsurance program, beating a deadline by one day in a move to hold down premiums for residents who buy their health insurance on the...
Judge Reinstates Trump Independent Contractor Rule Withdrawn by Biden
Apr 4 2022 // A federal judge in Texas has nixed the Biden Department of Labor’s withdrawal of a Trump administration rule governing whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. U.S. District Court Judge Marcia A....
Judge Invalidates Massachusetts Investment Advisor Rule in Win for Robinhood
Apr 1 2022 // A Massachusetts judge on Wednesday dealt state securities regulators a major setback in their enforcement action against online brokerage Robinhood by declaring the state’s new fiduciary duty rule that underlies...
Judge OKs $83M Settlement for Owners in Miami Beach Condo Collapse
Apr 1 2022 // People who owned units in a Florida oceanfront condominium building that collapsed last year will divide $83 million for property losses, with the compensation for families over the 98 deaths still to be determined, a...
