Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Florida Cabinet Delays Hurricane Fund Assessments
Mar 7 2010 // The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund needs $710 million to continue to pay claims still coming in from 2005’s Hurricane Wilma but it is going to have to wait to assess policyholders to get those funds. The Florida...
Declarations
Mar 7 2010 // Tallahassee Kaleidoscope “It’s like a kaleidoscope. You think you see (the solution) one minute and the next minute it’s different.” —Rep. Bill Proctor, a St. Augustine Republican, speaking on the...
Large Brokers Freed to Go After Contingent Commissions But Will They?
Mar 7 2010 // The nation’s largest insurance brokers have received the go-ahead to begin accepting contingent commissions again – but two of them say they won’t do it. Officials in New York, Illinois and Connecticut...
S&P Analyzes EU’s Proposed Solvency II Regulations on ‘Hybrid Capital’
Mar 5 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published updated assumptions for assessing European insurance hybrid capital instruments (see “Assumptions: Implications Of Solvency II Proposals For Our European...
Florida Lawmakers Block Sprinkler Mandate for New Homes
Mar 5 2010 // A Florida House committee wants to extinguish a proposed rule that would require fire sprinklers in many newly constructed homes. The House Governmental Affairs Policy Committee voted unanimously Wednesday for a bill that...
Washington Lawmakers Approve JUA For Flood Insurance
Mar 5 2010 // The Washington State Senate has approved a flood insurance bill that would allow the insurance commissioner to create a market assistance plan and, if necessary, a joint underwriting association if the flood insurance...
Minnesota Lawmakers Hold Distracted Driving Hearing
Mar 4 2010 // Minnesota lawmakers are taking another look at the dangers of distracted driving. House and Senate transportation committees held a joint hearing Wednesday on the risks of things like cell phone dialing, fiddling with GPS...
Foodborne Illnesses Cost U.S. $152 Billion a Year: Study
Mar 4 2010 // Foodborne illnesses cost the United States $152 billion in health-related expenses each year, according to a study released by consumer and public health groups on Wednesday. Food safety advocates are hoping that the study...
